Something About December
by awesomenerd16
Summary: Chloe takes Beca home to spend Christmas with the Beale family. How will each girl handle spending a week with the best friend they're secretly in love with?
1. Chapter 1: Come Away With Me

**A/N: Hi there everybody! First of all, happy holidays! Secondly, I'm a long-time reader, and now first time writer. I've had this Christmas story in my head for a while, and it's slowly coming along. Life is kinda getting in the way of me writing faster, so here's a preemptive warning that updates might be on the slow side. Hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

"Alright girls!" Aubrey yelled. "I think that's good for today." 

It's five days until Christmas. Finals have wrapped and winter break has already started on campus. Aubrey, however, thought it would be beneficial for the team to continue practicing their routine up until the very last possible moment before everyone left for the holidays. Sensing she wasn't going to get much more out of the Bellas, the blonde concluded their rehearsal.

The rest of the Bellas let out a collective sigh of relief, while Fat Amy collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Uhg…" Sounds of labored gasps of air filled the room. "One of you pitches might need to drag my sexy fat ass out of here," she says, breathing heavily. Fat Amy remains spread eagle on the floor as the other girls slowly make their way to collect their bags.

"And remember!" Aubrey shouts, "Just because we're on break for the next two weeks doesn't mean you can slack on cardio. We need to keep up our regimens for regionals next month." The blonde is met with a wave of grumbling at her comment, and something that sounds like "cardio-nazi" coming from Fat Amy's general direction on the floor.

"Oh lighten up Bree, it's the holidays!" Chloe says cheerfully, wrapping her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Tis the season for cookies and eggnog."

Staring straight ahead to watch the Bellas leave, Aubrey huffs. "That may be, Chloe. But I for one don't want to deal with the holiday hangover that comes with that eggnog and what, undoubtedly, most of the girls will put into it. We've been working too hard to become complacent."

Fat Amy walks over to the pair, seemingly having pulled herself up off the floor and away from the brink of cardio death. "Ginge is right, oh fearless leader. This is a time for kicking back, spiking your nog and letting loose like a couple of ho-ho-hoes! You need to let your festive freak flag fly for once! Maybe find someone to jingle your bells." Fat Amy winks conspicuously. Aubrey just rolls her eyes and turns to retrieve her own belongings.

Most of the girls have packed up their bags and started filtering out of the room, each heading off to their winter break destinations. Chloe scans the room and sees Beca putting the last of her laptop equipment into her bag and bounces over to her.

"Hey Becs!" Beca raises an eyebrow at the redhead's chipperness.

"Chloe, you have far too much energy for having just finished a brutal three hour practice."

"It's just that holiday spirit, you know! It makes me so excited… Well, that and possibly the triple espresso I had earlier that's coursing through my veins." Chloe smiles brightly.

"And here I thought you'd be consuming nothing but gingerbread and peppermint the whole month." Beca teased.

"I may or may not have also had a gingerbread latte to go with that espresso…" Chloe said while shyly biting her lip, as if she were a child having been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The brunette gives the girl her signature Beca Mitchell smirk. "BUT, like I keep saying: tis the season. It won't be Christmastime forever. Which is a shame, because it really is the most wonderful and magical time of the year!"

"Well I'm glad you're so excited Chlo." The brunette responds genuinely.

"I really am! I just can't wait to go back home and see all my brothers and my parents." Chloe's exceptionally wide smile causes Beca to crack a slight one herself.

"Hey Chloe, I gotta head off." Aubrey says as she hurriedly walks over. "I have an early flight in the morning and need to make sure I have everything packed."

"No worries Bree." The redhead says, leaning in to give the other girl a tight hug. "If I don't see you later, send my love to your parents and the rest of the family, and give them all big hugs for me."

"Same for me. Call you on Christmas day, and have a safe flight back home."

"You too. Love you Bree."

"Love you."

Aubrey and Chloe break apart from their embrace while Beca stands next to them, trying not to feel awkward and imposing as the two best friends say their goodbyes. Before she can turn away, Aubrey is suddenly staring Beca down, a tight-lipped expression donning her face as if she were holding back an insult of some kind. She loosens her jaw, however, and actually gives Beca a genuine smile.

"Merry Christmas Beca."

"Um... Merry Christmas Aubrey?"

"Is that a question?"

"Maybe? No? Sorry, guess I was a little thrown by your lack of an insult."

Aubrey raises an eyebrow at Beca. "I'll have you know, I'm completely capable of extending kindness, even to _you_ , Beca Mitchell." She pauses for a moment, "Just don't get too used to it."

"Then I will treasure this moment forever." She deadpans. Aubrey sighs and turns to leave.

"Whatever hobbit. Enjoy your trip back to the island of misfit toys," she says over her shoulder as she makes her way towards the exit. Beca rolls her eyes.

"Well that extension of kindness didn't last long." The brunette mumbled as she watches the doors shut, the sound echoing throughout the now almost empty rehearsal space.

Chloe playfully bumps into her shoulder, directing her own eyes toward the door the blonde just exited through. "You know, if you weren't such a tiny ball of sarcasm... and Bree could remove that stick from her butt," she adds on for good measure, "You two might just get along."

Beca lets out a loud chuckle. "I doubt that."

"So…" Chloe says cheerfully as she turns to face the shorter girl. "What's on the docket for your Christmas vacation Miss Mitchell?"

"Uh, I don't know. I guess work on a bunch of my mixes and see if I can pick up some hours at the station. Kimmy Jin's gone for break, so at least I get the room to myself, that's a bonus."

Ever since her parents divorced when she was 12, Beca hasn't been a fan of celebrating holidays, especially Christmas. Before, it had always been such a special time her life, a time when her parents were happy and in love, a time when they would all travel to a cabin back home in Maine and spend each Christmas together laughing and enjoying one another's company. But now, there's just an emptiness in her heart where those memories lay, buried beneath the years of anger, sadness and resentment after her father left. When her mother died when she was 16, it made experiencing any holiday that much harder, not having anyone left in her life who she cared about or who cared about her. So, she simply chose to be alone and keep herself busy when any holiday occasion came up, hoping it would pass the time quickly and she could just get through to the next day.

"What?! You mean you're staying here by yourself all break? What about going back home to be with your family?" Chloe asked, shocked at the thought of the brunette being alone during such a happy time of year.

Beca felt uncomfortable at the question and shifted on her feet as she stood next to the redhead. Looking into the older girl's bright blue eyes and seeing a mixture of shock, concern and curiosity, the tiny DJ contemplated whether or not to explain exactly why she planned on being alone for the holidays. Beca has spent a good number of years constructing impenetrable walls around herself. After her father walked out, she closed herself off from the world, her desire for communication and interaction with others completely fracturing the day the door shut behind him. Beca's mother had been the only exception to her change in demeanor. To this day, Beca was not one to open up to anyone about her feelings or most of the things that ran through her mind on a daily basis. She had essentially locked her heart up in a box and thrown the key away the day her mother died.

And now, as she stood in front of Chloe, who was looking expectantly at her after several moments of silence between the two women, Beca found herself surprised at the problem she was facing. It wasn't that she had to explain why she would be alone… The thing Beca was having a problem with was the fact that some part of her really wanted to be honest with Chloe in this moment and tell her everything.

She wasn't sure where this sudden desire to open up to Chloe even came from. Beca has only known the bubbly senior for just a handful of months, but she became instantly aware of the lack of boundaries the other girl had. Not that asking someone what their plans for Christmas are was crossing any kind of line. In fact, Beca feels stupid for even having such in-depth thoughts about the very simple question. But she can't help but feel insecure, knowing that such a simple question requires such a complicated and personal answer.

But ever since the redhead barged into her shower and inserted herself into Beca's life, the brunette could sense something changing within her. Without even realizing it, Chloe had been slowly chipping away at Beca's walls, and Beca now finds herself less guarded with the girl. If anyone were to ask, she'd deny it until her last breath… but part of Beca has even come to enjoy the fact that Chloe tries so hard to knock her barriers down and get closer to her.

"Beca?" Chloe speak softly at first. She notices the shorter girl's eyes seemed to have drifted off, lost in her own thoughts. "Becs!" She says louder, shaking the girl out of her reverie. "You okay there? Kinda lost you for a bit."

"Oh, uh, yeah… sorry. Just― just thinking." She replied. Looking back up into those piercing cerulean eyes― _seriously, how are they so damn blue!_ She sighs heavily, deciding to open up for once. "The thing is, I don't really have any family to go home to. My dad left when I was twelve―I mean yeah, he's around now, trying to reconcile our relationship... but I can't imagine being around him and the step-monster for 5 minutes, let alone Christmas break for a whole week. And well, my mom died when I was 16, so…" She trailed off quietly. "Holidays are just kind of depressing for me, so I tend to spend them alone, occupying myself with whatever I can to pass the time til they're over."

Chloe simply stood there in a bit of shock and awe, not expecting something that personal and in so many words to come out of the brunette's mouth. She knew the younger girl had a hard time opening up to anyone about anything, and to hear this declaration of private information, she felt her heart swell at the thought that it was _her_ Beca chose to share with.

Beca, for her part, continued to avoid eye contact with the other girl, feeling extremely vulnerable after the word vomit that just came out of her mouth. Before she could convince herself to run out of the room, she felt two strong arms wrap around her shoulders and envelop her smaller body.

"Thank you." Beca heard the words mumbled against her shoulder.

"For what?" She asked, leaning back to look at Chloe.

"For opening up to me." She simply stated. "I know that's not easy for you. And I can understand why you would want to avoid these times of the year that are kind of meant to bring families together." She pauses, looking directly into Beca's steel blue eyes. "I'm also sorry about your mom." The redhead dragged her own hands down Beca's arms to her hands, giving them a comforting squeeze.

"Thanks." The edge of her mouth rose slightly, giving Chloe a sad, but appreciative smile.

The two women simply stood there for a few moments, gazing into each other's eyes and letting the comfortable silence fill the space between them.

"Oh!" The redhead suddenly lit up. Beca looked alarmed at the quick turn of emotion. "Why don't you come spend the holidays with me?!"

"What?"

"Yeah! I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind." The redhead was practically bouncing on the spot, still grasping Beca's hands in her own, and gazing at the shorter girl with an excited sparkle in her eyes.

"I don't know if that's such a great idea, Chloe." Beca says reluctantly, withdrawing her hands from Chloe's and shoving them in her back pockets. "I don't really wanna intrude on your family's time together, and I don't think I could even afford the ticket right now anyways. Besides, holiday spirit really isn't my thing."

"I'm pretty sure I've got enough holiday spirit to spare for the both of us." Beca rolls her eyes and slightly shakes her head, knowing that's a true statement.

"And you won't have to worry about any of the costs. I'm inviting you as my guest, and on super short notice, so I'll take care of it all. Come on Becs!" Chloe continues. "We can make snowmen, decorate cookies... It'll be so much fun!" Beca groans at the redhead's suggestion of activities and fun, but Chloe continues, speaking more seriously and sincerely.

"I'd just hate to think of you spending this whole break holed up in your room all by yourself."

"So you'd be thinking about me on your vacation, huh?" Beca teased, displaying a small grin.

"Oh shut it!" Chloe laughed, glad to see the shorter girl reverting back to her normal, snarky self. "Besides, you haven't lived until you've experienced a Beale family Christmas!" Chloe punctuates with her 1000-watt smile.

"I dunno, I just―" Beca runs her hand through her dark brown hair, trying to come up with any other viable excuse to not go. Knowing that Chloe now knows the real reason she'd spend Christmas alone, there's really nothing else for her to say that would sound remotely convincing.

Seeing that she's got the younger girl backed into a corner with no reason to decline her offer, Chloe juts out her lower lip and gives Beca her signature pouty face, knowing that Beca can never resist her when she pouts. "Come away with me Bec, pleeeease?"

 _Dammit Beale, the pout? Uhg… I just know I'm gonna regret this._ "FINE! I'll go. Happy?" The brunette says, resignedly.

"Yay!" She squeals in excitement, throwing her whole body into the tiny brunette and wrapping her up in a tight hug.

"Chlo, I― Uhgh...I can't… breathe." Beca manages to stutter out, flailing her arms at her sides. "It's okay, you don't need oxygen right now," Chloe says, unconcerned as she maintains her death grip around the DJ.

At first, Chloe had felt the brunette stiffen at the contact of the hug, but as she slid her arms up to rest around Beca's shoulders, Chloe could feel the younger girl relax instantly into her embrace.

After knowing Beca for even a short period of time, Chloe came to learn of the brunette's aversion to contact and invasion of her bubble. " _This is your space." The DJ gestured her hands out toward the senior one afternoon in the quad when the two Bellas had been spending some time together bonding. "And this is my space." Beca spread her arms out wide and rotated in a large circle, illustrating to the other girl what her bubble was. "Invade my space, and you may get smacked." At the time Chloe just shook her head playfully and mumbled, "We'll see about that."_

She had always been a touchy-feely person, never really acknowledging boundaries with other people. But Chloe also wasn't completely oblivious. Even she recognized that walking into the girl's shower stall naked and practically forcing her to sing her lady-jam certainly qualified as shattering any and all boundaries between the two of them. But part of her believes that "the shower incident," as Beca refers to it, is what has allowed Chloe to get closer to the brunette, to have Beca become more comfortable with her constant displays of affection. It's given her the ammunition she needs to break through those barriers Beca has so strategically placed around herself.

And over time, the redhead has noticed the ease at which Beca has fallen in with her touches. Touches that she occasionally reciprocates, and sometimes―though rarely―even initiates. It's in those moments that Chloe truly acknowledges how Beca's walls are slowly coming down, and how she is the cause of that… and it's those small moments that make Chloe's heart swell.

"I know holidays aren't really your thing Becs, but I promise you…" Chloe says as she finally releases the smaller girl. "I'm gonna make this your best Christmas ever!"


	2. Chapter 2: Little Talks

**Chapter 2: Little Talks**

After walking arm and arm back to Beca's dorm and dropping the petite girl off, Chloe all but sprinted back to her own shared apartment with Aubrey. She burst excitedly through the door, heading straight for her best friend's room. Seeing the door slightly ajar, she called out for the blonde as she entered the room.

"Bree!" The blonde looks up from her packing, curiosity etched on her face.

"Whoa, Chloe, what's got you so excited?" Aubrey says as she places a few pairs of pants into her oversized bag.

"She said 'yes!'" Chloe exclaimed whilst twirling herself around in a circle.

"Wait, who said yes to what? What are you talking ab― Chlo, stop for a second! No don't―" the blonde tries to get out as she watches the spinning redhead fall backward onto her bed, disrupting her neatly folded pile of clothing. Aubrey glares downward at the girl on her bed. "I JUST finished folding those! Uhg. Also, what have I told you about your coffee intake?!" She says while pulling a handful of clothes out from under the intruding readhead.

"Always enjoy it with a pastry?" The redhead spoke innocently.

"Not even close." The blonde said with playful irritation. "Okay so… are you going to explain to me why my packing has been interrupted by hurricane Chloe? Who said yes to you for what?" Chloe eyes brightened, remembering why she ran into Aubrey's room in the first place.

"Beca!" She said dreamily.

"Beca." Aubrey repeats, in a less than enthusiastic tone.

"Yeah, I asked her if she wants to spend the holidays with me and my family and she said yes!" Chloe kicks her feet gleefully on the bed, further wrinkling the blonde's previously piled clothes.

"Would. You. Stop!" Aubrey chastises, swatting the other girl's legs with each punctuated word. "Anyways, why would you ask Beca to go to Connecticut with you?" Chloe looks up at her co-captain almost shyly.

She didn't think it was her place to tell her best friend Beca's life story, so rather, she gave her a simplified version of the truth. "Well she doesn't really have anyone to spend her Christmas with, and I didn't want her to be alone. So I asked if she wanted to come with me. That's all."

"That's all?" the blonde quirks an eyebrow.

"Yeah… that's all." Chloe says, suddenly trying to act nonchalant about the situation.

"Really." Aubrey says dryly. "Cause, you're earlier reaction doesn't exactly scream, ' _That's all.'_ "

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Chloe is avoiding Aubrey's gaze and starts feeling a little defensive at the blonde's chiding tone.

The blonde quirks her eyebrow even higher. Not willing to give up so easily on her best friend's evasiveness, she continues. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you don't think it's going to be weird?"

"Why would it be weird?" Chloe said, furrowing her brow.

"Well first off, she's weird." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Secondly, I'm just looking out for you."

"We're friends, Bree. It'd be exactly like if you were coming back home with me." At the back of her mind, Chloe had thought about it possibly being weird inviting her long-standing crush on a week-long trip back home, but she pushed those thoughts aside in favor of potentially spending more time with the tiny DJ. But now Aubrey's line of questioning was causing a part of her brain to rethink her impulsive invitation.

"Chlo, it's different and you know it."

"It's not. I―I'm just being a good friend is all. And no one should be alone on Christmas." She says softly, trying more to convince herself than Aubrey.

"Chlo…" Aubrey treaded lightly. The Bella captain was fully aware of the major crush her best friend has for the alt-girl. Even before the redhead admitted her growing feelings, Aubrey could sense the sexual tension between the two during rehearsals. It has actually become quite distracting. But the blonde hasn't been able to gauge whether Beca truly reciprocates those feelings or not. She's also seen how much that treble boy hangs around Beca outside of Bellas, and that's added to her constant frustration with the munchkin. After all, she's just trying to protect her best friend from getting her heart broken.

Chloe looks up at her, already knowing what her best friend was about to say.

"Look, I know you have a massive toner for the hobbit, but don't you think taking her home to meet the parents is a little much?"

"It's not like that. And as far as I can tell, she's not even interested. God knows I've been dropping hints for months! So that has to mean she's not interested, right?" Chloe says dejectedly, staring down at her hands in her lap.

A moment of silence passes in the room before Aubrey let's out a breathy chuckle and sits down next to the redhead on her bed. "I don't know, Chlo… she is pretty dense."

Chloe laughs lightly. "Don't be mean."

"Is it really being mean if it's true?" Chloe nudges the blonde's shoulder playfully.

"Whatever. She's not into me. Besides, I always see her with that treble Jesse. She's probably into him."

"So then why are you inviting her to spend Christmas with you? A fan of self-torture are we?" Aubrey grins slightly.

"Noooo!" Chloe drawls out, then sighs. "It's just―sometimes it feels like she feels it too. That there's something between us. It's just hard to gauge anything with her because of how closed off she is."

"Have you thought about just walking up to her and kissing her?"

"Yeah right, like that won't freak her out completely." Chloe sighs loudly, leaning her head on Aubrey's shoulder. "It's just―If I'm being honest, I figured getting her in a more one-on-one setting away from school and Bella stuff might work out in my favor, you know? And I know she hasn't really responded to any of my flirting, at least not that I've noticed anyways, but," Chloe lifts her head up to stare into her best friend's kind green eyes. "I'm just not ready to give up trying to be with her. And I don't think I will be until I know for sure I have no chance at all."

"Sweetie… don't get me wrong here, because I'm completely on Team Chloe, I want you to be happy, okay?" Aubrey hesitates, looking into the hopeful, but sad blue eyes of her best friend. "But, maybe your motives are a little selfish here. I mean, you said it yourself… you don't seem to think she's responding to your advances. I just don't want to see you completely fall for this girl and have your heart broken if she has to reject you."

"Maybe I am doing it for selfish reasons then. So what?" Chloe stands up abruptly, pacing as she begins her tirade. "She's all I can think about most days, and I just wanna spend time with her. I wanna learn everything there is to know about her. I want her to get to know me better―"

"Chloe…" Aubrey tries to interrupt the redhead's ramble.

"And if she happens to fall for me during the process… well, I'm not gonna complain!"

"Chlo!"

"What?" Chloe exclaims loudly, a little startled at the blonde's interruption.

"Are you seriously even listening to yourself?"

"Uhg, I know, fine. I sound crazy. I just― I really like her Bree." Chloe collapses back onto the bed, laying her head back onto Aubrey's shoulder.

"I know sweetie." She says, taking her best friend's hand in her own. "But you can't force love. Maybe Beca likes you, maybe she doesn't. Maybe she's not attracted to women, or even if she is, maybe she's too emotionally stunted for a relationship at all. Maybe I'm biased and don't think she's good enough for you." Aubrey gives Chloe's shoulders a tight squeeze and she can see a small smile grace her friend's mouth. "And I'm not saying you shouldn't have asked Beca to go with you. Maybe having some alone time together will help knock some sense into that girl, and maybe, _just maybe_ having you introduce some fun into that girl's life will knock the snark out of her. Lord knows I could do with her being less of an ass at practice all the time!"

"You know, she'd say the exact same thing about you?" Chloe smirks, trying to hold back a small chuckle rising up.

"Oh shut up." Chloe can't contain her laughter at Aubrey's comment.

"I promise Bree, I won't be crazy creeper girl, and I won't get my hopes up too much with Beca. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment or possibly losing my friendship with her."

Aubrey gives Chloe's hand a comforting squeeze, communicating that that part of the conversation has come to a close. After a moment of comfortable silence, Aubrey glances over at her best friend.

"So what did Dianna say when you told her you were bringing someone home with you?" Aubrey asked with a curious expression.

"I haven't called my mom yet. I'm going to in just a minute…"

"Oh, can I _please_ be there for the interrogation?!"

Chloe swats her best friend's arm and laughs. "No!" She continues. "It's going to be bad enough with her teasing me over the phone about Beca. I don't need you there snickering or the two of you ganging up on me."

"Fine, fine. I can get those details from her later anyways."

"You're the worst."

"And yet you still love me."

"For some reason. Though I can't seem to remember why at this particular moment." Chloe squints her eyes in faux contemplation, tapping her chin with her finger.

"It's cause I'm aca-amazing!" The blonde motions her hands, as if presenting herself to Chloe.

"Is it?"

"Shut up and go call your mother about _Beca_." Aubrey imitates the dreamy way Chloe said the brunette's name earlier.

Chloe jumps off Aubrey's bed, tossing a collection of her now crumpled shirts back at the blonde as she turned to leave the room. "Uhg, the worst!" She exclaims, chuckling as she closes the door.

* * *

Chloe's thumb hovers over the call button on her phone as she sits up on her bed, legs crossed underneath her. After taking a minute to mentally prepare herself for the barrage of questioning from her mother, she sighs and pushes the button. She listens to the tone continue to ring. _Please don't make a big deal out of this. Please don't make a big deal out of this._ Click.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom."

"Chloe sweetheart! How's my favorite daughter?" Flows Dianna Beale's voice over the phone.

"I'm your only daughter."

"Hence how you were able to so easily earn that title." Dianna teased.

"Ha ha." Chloe responds dryly.

"So Cubbie, how are you?" Chloe grins at the nickname. She can hear sounds of pots and pans clanking in the background and assumes her mother is in the middle of cooking dinner.

"I'm good. Just got done with our last Bellas practice for the semester. Finishing up packing before tomorrow. Bree's in her room doing the same."

"Oh how is Aubrey? Still vomit free?"

Chloe manages to bite her lip at her mother's comment, not wanting to laugh at her best friend's past embarrassment. "Only barely. She's been pretty high-strung lately―even more so than usual―so hopefully going home for a week will help her relax. Her dad's away on business, so she's flying out to her grandparents' in South Carolina and spending the holidays with them, her mom, aunts and uncles… I think it'll be good for her."

"Well that's good. Wish her a Merry Christmas from us before she leaves, darling."

"I will mom."

"So…" her mom continues, "I've gotten all of your rooms fixed up for you kids. Caleb is flying in tonight. Charlie and Sara will drive over in the afternoon with Cooper. What time's your flight getting in tomorrow?"

"Um, not til 7, I think... then the 45-minute drive to get out to the house. Should get there just before 8." Chloe answered, figuring this is as good a time as any to ask her mom about bringing Beca.

"Perfect. Just in time for dinner. Well, you're dad and I are so excited to see you!"

"I'm excited to see you guys too! And the three stooges." Chloe hears her mom laugh on the other end.

"So mom… I kinda wanted to ask you something." Chloe states tentatively, biting her lower lip.

"Uh huh…" The older Beale leads, in a knowing tone.

"Do you remember that girl I was telling you about not long ago, Beca? She's also a Bella." Chloe added on.

"Beca. Beca…" A moment of silence on the line before recollection of the name hits the older woman. "Oh! Beca... the, and I quote, 'really cute brunette with eyes like a dark storm that you could get lost in for days?'" Chloe blushed, remembering how she described her crush for the first time to her mom.

"Yeah. That's the one." She rubs the back of her neck with her hand. "Well, I was kind of wondering," she stutters out, "if it's okay with you and dad…"

"Come on Cub, I've got a roast in the oven to deal with, spit it out!" Her mother urges.

"I invited Beca to come spend Christmas with me―with us―and wanted to know if that's okay with you guys." She quickly rushes out.

Chloe could hear the grin forming on her mother's face, bracing herself for the line of awkward questioning she was about to receive, wanting to bypass it as quickly as possible. _Remember. Friend. Beca's just a friend. Easy. Done._

Before the interrogation could even commence, Chloe heard her mother shriek on the other end of the phone.

"JIM! Honey! Chloe's bringing her girlfriend home for Christmas!" She yelled excitedly.

"Oh God…" Chloe drops her head into her hands and groans to herself. _Assumptions are officially worse than questions._ "Mom!" she yelled through the phone to get her attention.

Chloe could hear a muffled response from her father on the other end, but couldn't quite make it out.

"Yes, they can sleep in the same room… it's not the dark ages anymore! And it's not like they can get pregnant anyways." Dianna shouted away from the phone. Chloe drops her head back onto her pillow and blushes even harder. _So this is what dying of embarrassment feels like._

"Mom! MOM!"

"What, what honey?" her mother responds loudly, letting Chloe know she has her attention again.

"Mom, Beca's _not_ my girlfriend. She's just a _friend_ ," she emphasizes, but not without a hint of sadness. "So please stop making this horribly awkward for me."

"Chloe Elizabeth Beale… First of all, this is nowhere near the level of awkwardness that I can take this to." Chloe cringed slightly, knowing exactly what her mother was referring to. "Secondly, and correct me if I'm mistaken… is this Beca not the one who you have been pining over the last 3 months?"

"Yes."

"And is she not the girl whom you've, on more than one occasion, gone back and forth rambling on about whether you think she likes you or not?"

She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yesss."

Sensing her daughter's frustration, Dianna eased up a bit on her. "Okay then, clear it up for me Cubbie. If she's not your girlfriend, how come you asked her to spend a week for Christmas with you and your crazy family?"

Chloe internally chuckled at her mom's last remark, but blurted out nonetheless, "Because she doesn't have any family to spend the holidays with, and once I found out she was going to be alone, my heart just broke and I realized I wanted her to spend them with me, and I couldn't help but think that I wanted to make her happy and give her an amazing Christmas." Chloe sucks in a deep breath of air that she previously neglected from body for the last 30 seconds as she rambled on the phone.

Surprised at the admission, Dianna simply smiled and replied softly, "You've got it bad, don't you hunny."

She sighs heavily. "I really do, mom."

"Well then… tell Beca she is more than welcome to spend Christmas with us. We'd be happy to have her." Her mother says sincerely.

"Thanks mom." Chloe responds calmly, but internally, she's jumping for joy.

 _Wow, I might just get out of this conversation without having the talk._ Chloe thinks, ready to say goodnight to her mom.

There's a beat of silence before, "So…" her mother says mischievously. _Dang it, I was so close._ "Tell me more about this not-girlfriend, Beca, that seems to have stolen my little girl's heart." _Whomp, there it is._

"Mom…" Chloe whines.

"You either tell me now Cubbie, or I'm going to coax any information out of the girl myself when she gets here, possibly using embarrassing childhood stories of yours as incentive to share."

"You wouldn't!" She gasps.

"Oh wouldn't I…" she teases and continues. "I'm sure your father and brothers would be more than willing to help as well."

"Nope, nope and nope. I'll disclose the information myself, thank you very much."

"That's what I thought. Now spill. And don't leave anything out about my future daughter-in-law."

"Mom! _Friends_! Remember?" she says exasperatedly. It wasn't that she minded her mother's teasing, that's always been a normal part of their close relationship. It was that she couldn't bare to get her hopes up about a future with the brunette, and it was words like those from her mother that created an ache in her chest. Sure, she really likes Beca, but she has also spent a lot of time convincing herself the brunette couldn't possibly return her feelings.

"Fine, fine." Her mother relents. "Now, please, tell me about your friend Beca. What is she like?"

"She's wonderful, mom. She's a freshman and joined the Bellas this year. She's so talented too. Her voice, it's like nothing I've ever heard before. She's a DJ at the radio station on campus, and she makes these mixes of songs that are just completely amazing. I keep trying to tell Aubrey to give Beca a chance at reinventing our set list, but she's just too damn stubborn with her ' _Bella tradition_.'" Chloe says with a hint of irritation in her voice. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, she continues on about the amazing brunette.

"Beca acts like she's this big badass all the time, but she's really very sweet and considerate. And super tiny, mom. It's adorable! I mean, how that girl fits all her confidence and snark into such a small body…" Dianna chuckles on the other end at her daughter's comment. Chloe continues in a softer tone. "She's also a really reserved person. Beca's told me that she's not great at opening up to people, like ever―wait til you meet her, she's pretty awkward―but she does with me, and it makes me feel..." Chloe sighs. "Sometimes―when we're alone and we talk, and she opens up, it makes me feel like she really cares about me. Like, I'm special enough to her that I'm whom she shares with, you know? And don't tell her I told you this… you have to promise." Chloe tacks on timidly, unsure she should be sharing this secret, but wanting her mother to know exactly what Beca letting her in meant to her.

"I promise, Cub." Her mother responds.

"Well, the whole reason I was even able to invite her was because she opened up to me about her family, how she doesn't really have any―her dad left when she was young and her mom passed away not long after―" Dianna frowned at this information, and truly felt sad for the girl her daughter was speaking about. It can't be easy for a daughter to lose her mother at such a young age. "That why holidays are kind of depressing for her. And she wasn't extremely specific or anything, but it's more than I'm sure she's told anyone before." Chloe finishes. She feels anxious having just revealed some very personal information about Beca to her mom, but also relieved that she could confide in someone about her own feelings on the situation, knowing the older woman would never say anything.

"Well she sounds like a lovely girl." Dianna says honestly, and presses the subject forward. "It also sounds like, with how you describe her... if Beca is really only opening up to you, maybe―Have you ever thought maybe she does like you after all?" her mother asks.

"I'm fairly certain she doesn't feel the same way about me at all." Chloe responds solemnly.

"Fairly certain is not 100% certain, my dear. For all you know, she feels exactly the same way as you, but is too shy or afraid to say anything."

"I've been trying to show her I like her since I met her. I mean, I don't think I've flirted with anyone else this much in my life! If she liked me back, don't you think she would've said something by now?"

"I know you just said you've tried to show her, but have you actually _said_ anything to her?"

"No, but―" her mother cuts her off.

"Sweetie, if she's as reserved and closed off about her feelings as you say she is..." her mother prompts. "Emotions for someone like that can be very hard to express. It sounds like she probably hasn't had a whole lot of love and support in her life for a while, and has possibly detached herself from certain types of intimacy with others. So, even if you're constantly putting yourself in her life, doing little things to show your affection… she may not recognize them for what they are. Or, she might, but isn't confident enough to say something to you because of her own inability to talk about her feelings. If you're really wanting to pursue a relationship with her, you might have to be the one to make the first move Cub." Chloe's mother advises.

"But what if I do and she doesn't feel the same and I completely ruin our friendship because of it?! I don't think I can take that risk. I just want her in my life, and―and I'm willing to sacrifice my own feelings to keep her in it, even if it is as just her friend." Chloe says dejectedly.

"Sweetheart." Dianna says in a soothing tone, hoping to reassure her daughter. "The best things in life sometimes come at the biggest risk. If you allow yourself to remain her friend at the cost of your own heart, you're just going to live a life of regret, always looking back and wondering ' _what if_.'"

"I'm just scared."

"I know baby. And I'm not saying you have to jump off the phone right now and confess everything to her. I'm not even saying you have to do it tomorrow, this week, this month… But, if you want my advice, I'd do it before it's too late. It'd be an awful thing if someone else comes along, she moves on and you could have had a chance with her if you just said something." Chloe takes a moment to let her mother's word set in. _She's right. What if there is something there and I never act on it. What if Jesse or someone else comes into Beca's life and sweeps her off her feet before I say anything. I don't want to risk our friendship, but I'd hate myself everyday knowing I had a shot with her and didn't take it._

"I'll tell her soon mom. I'm not ready now. I―I'm not ready to possibly lose her because of how I feel about her. But you're right, I have to tell her at some point."

"Good. I'm glad baby girl." Her mother smiles into the phone, immediately forming into a conspiratorial grin. "Oh, and Chloe hunny?"

"Hmm?"

"You should probably tell Beca to prepare herself―you know, for when she meets your father and brothers." Dianna adds on quickly. Chloe immediately senses her mother change in tone. "You know how _they_ can get when you bring people home. Even a ' _friend'_ " her mother emphasizes coyly.

"Mom." She speaks in a warning tone.

"And you know, if you need any help with a big grand gesture while you two are here…" Chloe cuts her off.

"This isn't―I don't want you playing matchmaker while she's here! I don't even know if she likes me, and even if I did… The last thing I'd want is for my crazy, prying mother to scare her away completely."

Chloe can hear her mother's fake scoff on the other end of the phone. "I would never! In fact, I'm a little hurt at the accusation that I could be so interfering."

"Uh huh." Chloe says, now convinced her mother is definitely planning on doing something when she and Beca visit.

"Cubbie, I don't know why you're so suspicious. I'm just looking out for the poor girl. You know how the Beale men can be."

"Yeah, after years of them chasing off my exes, I know very well how they are. But I also know how a certain Beale matriarch can get too. Don't even try and deny it!" Chloe can hear her mother sigh a slow, exaggerated breath on the other end.

"Mom, I'm serious. If anything is going to happen with me and Beca this week, it'll be my doing, not yours or dad's or the idiots'. I just have to figure out a different approach than what I've been doing, not that I have any clue what that is yet."

"I know you don't think so baby girl, but when it comes to love, you really are a hopeless romantic like your father. It just takes that right person to bring it out in you. Don't underestimate that Beca might be that person for you. You'll figure out how to woo the girl just fine." Dianna conveys coyly.

"You know, I just love these little talks of ours, mom." Chloe says in a light but snarky manner.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm starting to regret genetically passing my humor and wit down to you, daughter of mine. Now, go finish up your packing and get yourself into bed. You'll have a long flight tomorrow and will need every ounce of energy you've got for the coming week." Dianna says in her classic mom-tone.

"Alright, alright."

"Love you, cub bear." Dianna smiles into the phone.

"Love you mama bear. See you guys tomorrow."

"We'll be waiting with open arms."

Chloe smiles wide before wishing a final goodbye and hanging up with her mother for the night. Sighing heavily and leaning further back into her bed, she reflects on the conversations she's had with Aubrey and her mom tonight. Deciding that she's going to take every opportunity this week to convey her attraction to Beca, and ultimately build up the courage to just tell the girl outright how she feels, she stands to grab her phone and text the one person she can't keep her mind off of.


	3. Chapter 3: About A Girl

**Chapter 3: About a Girl**

Beca had been sitting at her desk, hovering over her laptop and mixboard for the past 3 hours. As soon as Chloe dropped the DJ off at her dorm and hugged her goodbye, she dove straight into one of her mixes, hoping the task would distract her from her lingering thoughts after the redhead had invited Beca on vacation with her. Her plan had succeeded for the most part, only breaching the forefront of her brain when she took a break to eat or pee. Of course, in those moments, her mind would always drift back to her admission to Chloe. She thought about how vulnerable and exposed she felt speaking about her past, about her mom―albeit briefly. She thought about the fear she had, hoping that the redhead wouldn't reject her after discovering how broken she was inside. She thought about the tightness in her chest and the wave of relief that crashed over her body when she felt the older girl embrace her. But mostly, she thought about the feeling that encompassed her whole body when she realized in that moment she could trust Chloe with her most personal secrets.

It was that epiphany that was causing Beca the most distress, the reason she was trying to distract herself the most right now. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of this feeling. Beca hasn't been able or willing to open up to anyone about her parents for the last five years, and yet this ball of energy that is Chloe Beale managed to quickly maneuver her way into Beca's life and unlock some of her most private secrets.

 _Maybe this is what it's like to have a best friend? Is that what this is?_ Beca questions to herself. _I mean, it couldn't possibly be because… No, no it can't be because of that._

Her whole life, Beca hasn't really had a lot of friends. Any friends she had manage to make, she wouldn't necessarily call them 'close' by any means. Her closest one would have to have been Sam when she was in high school. He was a sweet guy, kind of quiet and aloof like her, but not in an angry, rebellious way. He was artsy, loved to draw, and could be consumed by his art for hours on end, just like Beca could be with her music. Maybe that's what attracted her to Sam, the shared bond of expressing their emotions through a creative outlet.

But even when the status of their friendship change into boyfriend/girlfriend, she never felt comfortable fully opening up to him. They would talk about art, music, food; the future, what their goals in life were. But they never talked about anything truly personal―not her fears, not her family, not the past―and Beca liked it that way. She didn't need nor want more than that. What they shared physically and creatively between them, it was enough, and she was content for the six months they'd been together. Of course, she managed to completely screw that relationship up. Beca didn't completely blame herself... she wasn't the only party involved, and she certainly didn't initiate anything. But hormones can be a real bitch when you're a teenager; when you're not completely sure of who or what you are; and when you suddenly find yourself questioning your feelings towards those of the same sex. And when she found herself at a party one night their junior year, a few beers consumed and Sam off somewhere else, it was Sam's twin sister Holly sauntering up to Beca as she sat on the couch, avoiding interacting with anyone. Part of her found the other girl attractive, and if she was being honest with herself, occasionally found other girls at school attractive. At the time, Beca hadn't been willing to admit to herself those feelings actually meant anything. She played them off as if it was one of those competitive girly things… comparing the way she looked to other girls. Now, of course, she has no problem admitting that it was in fact, physical attraction.

Holly had clearly been intoxicated, Beca well on her way to getting there, and when Beca felt a weight land next to her on the couch and lips press against her own, she chose not to question what was happening. She relished in the embrace, allowed their lips and tongues to fight against each other, hands to wander carelessly. Beca barely registered someone yelling out angrily before she could feel Holly being unceremoniously pulled away from her and up from the couch. She looked upward toward the figures in front of her, setting her gaze on Sam's angered and devastated expression. She remembers the guilt and the fear she felt from her actions, the overwhelming confusion.

But she'll always remember the friendship that she lost that day. The close connection that was severed because she couldn't keep her feelings in check.

As Beca sits at her desk, practically staring through her computer screen while a low beat hums through the headphones suspended around her neck, she contemplates her short time at Barden and the enigma that is Chloe Beale.

Beca has never been one to gravitate towards a personality like Chloe's―bubbly and cheerful; essentially like staring into the sun whilst engaged in a sugar high 24/7. Beca hates people. She especially hates people who live their lives like everything is puppy dogs and cotton candy, where boundaries are non-existent, and personal details are shared and prodded at like it's a sixth grade sleepover. If it were anyone else, Beca is sure she'd have some choice expletives and a middle finger to throw their way if they came anywhere near the moody girl. But with Chloe, she doesn't mind any of those qualities. In fact, she finds each and every aspect of the older girl endearing and adorable―two words she'd never say out loud, of course.

If she were to look back on it, Beca could confidently say the activities fair is the day her whole life changed. To the casual observer, meeting the two Bella captains that day doesn't seem like it would have had any kind of significant impact… However, if she really thought about it, she believes her snark and resistance to the concept of acapella as a whole that day was what likely fueled Chloe's determination in recruiting the freshman. The shower incident, as she dubbed it, is simply what cemented the altering of her life.

Nevermind the fact that a gorgeous and very naked woman walked into her shower stall practically demanding she sing the song said girl masturbates to. And despite how awkward and embarrassed Beca felt, that was certainly something she took notice of and burned into her brain. But it was the experience of harmonizing together that really caught Beca's attention. Their voices fit so perfectly together, and as the final note rang out between them, Beca knew in that moment this woman was special and she wanted to know her.

So if she were being honest, her dad's offer of helping her move to LA was not her only motivation for attending those auditions. It might have sort of, maybe, mostly been because she wanted to see the redhead again, if even for a few minutes. There was something about her that Beca couldn't put her finger on, something that drew her to the other girl. The way their voices intermingled in the shower that day, how their eyes met with shy smiles; they connected on a level that was far more intimate to Beca than she'd ever experienced before. A level that goes beyond physical, mental or even emotional. She and Chloe connected musically, and for Beca, that is something special. Because Beca is music. She lives and breathes each and every lyric and beat the world has to offer. And in that moment in the shower stall, Beca had found a kindred spirit, and they were one.

It is since that very naked meeting that Beca has not been able to get the redhead out of her mind. Seeing her every day at practice certainly hasn't helped. And from day one, surprisingly to Beca, Chloe dove head first into befriending the prickly DJ. They would spend time together outside of Bellas, hangouts almost always initiated by the redhead, with moderate protestations from the younger girl. But over the last couple months, Beca gradually found herself only protesting to tease the other girl and keep up appearances that she didn't care or want to engage in fun with Chloe. Secretly, she loved it; loved every second she got with the redhead. They were compatible on so many levels despite being so different in personality, but it worked for them. They fit together so effortlessly.

Sometimes they'd get adventurous with their activities, but most of the time it was simply hanging out in one of their bedrooms―Chloe studying or reading, Beca working on her mixes. They would talk; about the Bellas, about school, about random things, the newest cat video Chloe found online, the latest mix Beca was working through. Their conversations were never stilted or awkward, it just came easily to them. And with that easy conversation came jokes and banter, innuendoes and flirtations―mostly from Chloe, as Beca would just splutter when it happened, but occasionally she'd get one in and catch Chloe off guard. It also brought the occasional more personal conversations―family, past relationships and friendships; hopes, dreams, fears, ambitions, desires. Again, it was mostly Chloe sharing, but the older Bella managed to squeeze a few details from the closed off DJ.

Not since Sam had anyone been able to worm their way into Beca's life and routine so easily―admittedly, even more than Sam had―and it seems as if the redhead has made it her mission from the beginning to tear down her walls bit by bit. This afternoon's confession only strengthens that suspicion. Briefly straying her thoughts from the redhead, Beca thinks about the small group of misfits she's found herself immersed in. She's not sure if she'd call them all friends, but they're friendly. She really does like all the girls, well except for Aubrey―she likes to push the uptight blonde's buttons, that's for sure. But all the others have their quirks that make them tolerable enough to Beca to hang around them almost every day. But to say that the bubbly redhead was one of her closest friends on campus would not be a stretch. Beca has exactly two people she'd ever consider confiding in―not that she does that often, or ever, really―and Chloe was certainly on that list. A fact that causes the brunette great discomfort and anxiety due to her rapidly growing feelings for the senior Bella. Beca's been burned in the past before by letting her emotions and attraction get the best of her, and what she's come to learn and accept is that Chloe is far too important to her life to throw their friendship away because of her feelings.

Which is why Beca is burying herself in her mixes, something she finds herself doing even more frequently since accepting her attraction to Chloe. Music is the only thing that helps Beca channel her emotions; the only thing that calms her, that can push all of the frustrations and fears and doubts to the back of her mind, and give her moments of clarity and peace.

Having regained her focus moments ago, Beca is fine-tuning the tail end of her latest mix when she feels something vibrating near her arm. She looks down at her phone and notices a text notification flashing. Smirking when she sees the name on her phone, she clicks open the message.

 **Chloe: Hey Becs! Everything's all set. I've got our tickets and we'll fly out at 2pm tomorrow. I'll swing by your place at about 11, help you with any last minute packing ;)**

 **Chloe: Also my mom says she can't wait to meet you and to prepare yourself. xoxo**

 _Wait, prepare myself. Prepare myself for what?_ The brunette thought anxiously.

 **Beca: What does that even mean?**

Across campus at her apartment, Chloe sits in bed reading over the text she received from Beca. Knowing her mother is probably up to something, the relationship meddler that she is, Chloe ponders whether or not to forewarn the girl. _If I don't say anything, getting a little help could be my best chance at figuring out whether Beca likes me or not. Besides, I can stave of my mother's meddling if necessary._

 **Chloe: You'll find out soon enough. See u tomorrow! G'night 3**

Beca stares down at the text, attempting to figure out what the first part of the message meant while her brain processed the heart emoji in the back of her mind. She sighs, thinking about the week that lies ahead of her.

"What have I gotten myself into?..."


	4. Chapter 4: Don't Panic

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks to all for the great feedback, you guys are amazing and I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I'm working on the next chapter, but it's sporadic with my crazy schedule right now, so apologies for what might be a bit of a wait for the next update. Also, I love hearing from y'all, so any posts or reviews are welcome! Now... without further ado.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Don't Panic**

 _Buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz._

A low grumble filters from underneath a pile of bed sheets bunched atop the small bed that lay within the darkened and empty dorm room. Morning sunlight barely peaks through the small strip of space between the curtains.

"Uhnnngh." A pale arm juts out from underneath the covers, flailing around in search of the device making the offending noise.

Finally grabbing ahold of the item and shutting off the reminder alert on her cellphone, Beca pushes the covers from her body as she turns on her side to check her alarm clock sitting on the shelf just above her bed.

Her vision un-blurs and the large red numbers showing 10:00 register in her brain.

"Shit! Shit shit shit." Beca immediately sits up in bed and reaches over for the time device. "What the hell, clock! You had one job!" She chucks the useless gadget back on the shelf and jumps out of bed. Standing in the middle of her clothes-littered room, wearing an oversized shirt and her hair sticking up in all the wrong ways, she glances around trying to figure out her first move. _Son of a bitch. Chloe's gonna be here in like an hour. I'm nowhere near packed! I still haven't even fully processed this whole Christmas-with-her-and-her-family thing. God, maybe it was a mistake saying yes. But it's too late to cancel! Breathe. What am I gonna do?! Breathe._

She whips out her cell and pulls up a familiar number, thinking this is only person she can talk to about any of what's running through her mind right now. _Please don't be busy!_ She opens up a chat, composes her message, and quickly hits send.

 **Beca: Hey, you busy?**

She taps her fingers on the screen impatiently, only stopping when she sees the thought bubble on her phone pop up in the message.

 **Jesse: Just packing my bags up in the car. What's up?**

 **Beca: Panicking. Blindly. Code Red. Kinda need your help!**

She didn't want to sound too dramatic, but desperate times and all… Plus the boy had a penchant for the dramatics.

 **Jesse: Yeah of course. Be right over. See you in 10!**

After setting the phone down on her desk, she locates her open and half-filled suitcase on the floor. "Gah, I knew I should've finished this last night!" She mumbles in a panic. First things first, she thinks: shower. Beca grabs her shower tote and some clothes to wear, and makes her way to the bathroom.

Finishing in record time, she re-enters her bedroom, fully changed into a pair of dark skinny jeans, white tank, and her favorite purple plaid shirt. She glances over at the clock she's still pissed at. _10:15._ Just as she finished drying her hair and applying her make-up, she hears a knock at the door. Opening the door, she's met with not a face, but a giant coffee cup being handed to her.

"Oh sweet caffeinated goodness." She takes a long gulp of the warm beverage that Jesse immediately handed to her. "And this is why you are occasionally good to have around."

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." He looks around Beca's room, taking in it's ransacked appearance with clothes strewn all over the floor, desk and bed. "Did your closet throw up or were you robbed last night?"

"Shut up. I haven't finished packing and I still can't decide on stuff to take."

"So you laid out your entire wardrobe on the floor to figure out what's there. No, yeah, that's a solid plan." He grins.

"You're lucky you brought coffee, or I'd be smacking that grin off your face right now."

"I feel the love, Becs, really." He continues, "So… what's the panicking all about? I can't imagine you begged me to come over this morning so I could give you tips on outfits. Cause, that's not really my thing."

"Clearly." She gestures toward the guy's outfit. He's got on a grey t-shirt, a casual solid blue button up shirt, a light jacket hoodie and and even thicker, heavier jacket covering all of that. "This layered thing you've got going on... not a great look for you."

"In my defense, it's really cold outside. Also… I kind of don't care what I'm wearing on an airplane. It's all about comfortability." He pauses. "But now that I'm inside and out of the snow, it's like a sauna in here." He takes off his heavy jacket and drops it on the bed, fanning out his lighter jacket to get some air moving around his body.

"You're such a weirdo." He just shrugs her comment off. "So when are you headed out?"

"In about…" he checks his watch. "20 minutes. Got the car packed up. Benji's gonna drive me out to the airport."

"So," he continues. "You gonna tell me why I'm here? It's not often I get a desperate sounding text from Beca Mitchell early in the morning. In fact, it never happens." He looks down at Beca who is sitting on the floor, folding up some items of clothing and shoving them unceremoniously into her suitcase. She stops and runs her right hand through her hair before letting it fall around her face.

"Uhg, I just―I dunno if I can do it."

"Do what?"

"Go. Away. You know, with Chloe. For a whole freaking week! And meet her family!" she exclaims. "I'm not―I mean, we're not―and I―" Beca throws her hands in the air exasperatedly. _Uhg, why is saying words so hard!_

"Slowly, Beca. Just let the words process in your brain first." Jesse says.

Beca and Jesse's friendship developed in it's own unique way. At first, Beca found the treble as nothing but an annoyance, like a lost puppy that followed her around seeking attention. But over the past few months they bonded during their time spent together at the station, commiserating in their shared duties of stacking records and other grunt work. They had vastly different tastes in music, but the love of music as a whole was there for both of them. At the time, she also noticed that he was similar in personality to Chloe in that he was sweet and personable, but different in that his energy and excitability was more dopey.

It was uncomfortable for the first couple of weeks spending time around Jesse, as Beca could tell the boy had been attracted to her. It was one evening spent stacking yet another round of records, Jesse trying to make the experience more bearable by posing stupidly with album covers, when he asked her out for dinner. She didn't want to disappoint her new friend, but she ultimately broke it to the boy that he wasn't her type. Upon pressing on what type of guy she was into ( _Lemme guess. Oh, you're into the jock type huh? Or maybe it's heavily tattooed guys with mullets and lowriders? The lumberjack type perhaps? You guys go on dates with your cute matching plaid outfits?_ ), she finally slugged him in the shoulder and admitted she was attracted to those of the female persuasion. His reaction ranged from confusion, to sadness and understanding, to extremely excited, eventually spouting off how from that moment forward they would be best bros and wingmen. Beca simply rolled her eyes and continued with her work, but now more relaxed knowing she didn't have to put up any kind of front around the guy or sidestep anymore of his advances.

There was a time when Beca wouldn't open up to Jesse. It took a lot of persistence―and annoyance―on Jesse's part, but he finally managed to break through some of those walls Beca had built up. His goofy and joking personality had eventually grown on her, and he became like the annoying brother she never had, being able to confide in the boy like he was her own sibling. It wasn't until one night when they were binging on pizza and a bottle of whiskey Jesse managed to extract from the Trebles' house that he learned, in Beca's drunken state, of her feelings for a particular redheaded Bella captain. After the teasing wore off―and by wore off, he means beaten out of him by a deceptively strong brunette―he became sympathetic to her cause, advising her on her feelings whenever she'd have moments of panic. Which is the predicament Jesse now found himself in.

"I just can't understand it. I mean, who does that? Who invites someone out of the blue for Christmas with their family when said invited person isn't girlfriendly or boyfriendly? I know we're friends, and we hang and we talk. I'd go so far as to say she's my _best_ friend." Jesse scoffs loudly, sounding very offended. "My _girl_ best friend. Better?" Jesse reaches a hand out to Beca, and once she's taken it, pulls her up into a standing position.

"Yes. Proceed."

"It's strange for me, this whole thing. I'm not great with people, new people especially." Jesse laughs at this comment, knowing the full truth of that statement. Beca simply glares at him. "Opening up here. Show a little restraint and appreciation."

"Sorry." He clears his throat. "Continue, please."

"I'm nervous about having to be myself around her family. I'm not exactly touchy-feely or a Chatty Kathy, and if Chloe's family is anything like her, I'm in for a long week of sunshine and rainbows and hugs and emotions. I don't do that kind of shit, and I don't want her family to hate me!" Beca's voice starts to rise as she becomes more agitated. "I mean, I'm freaking out here! We're not together or anything, we're just friends, but like, I really want to make a good impression and I'm just me. An awkward, moody, loner."

"Come on Bec. You're a lot more than that. You're smart, talented, witty. When you're not freaking out about a certain redhead," he winks at her, "you've got a confidence about you that makes people think you can do anything in the world. You don't let a lot of people see it, but you've got a big heart. You're... considerate? Maybe? I haven't seen that quality yet, but I'm sure it's there." He teases.

"You may not think so, but you're a catch, Beca Mitchell." At those words, Beca allows a small half-smile to grace her face. "Sure, your communication skills are shit, you hate movies, you for some reason click a pen three times before writing something down, and you're not that great at sharing… which is a trait you're supposed to learn in kindergarten by the way!" Beca smacks Jesse square in the chest. "Hey!"

"Dude! I thought this was going to be a pep talk! Besides, what does the pen thing have to do with anything?"

"It's insane quirk for a person to have Beca!" The brunette just rolls her eyes at his outburst.

"But seriously, Chloe's your friend, she's not someone you have to impress. Even if you want to get in her pants." Another smack to the chest. "Ow! And you know her," he continues, rubbing the, what he believes to be, now forming bruise on his upper chest. "She'd give the shirt off her back to someone she thought needed it, so why wouldn't she invite you for Christmas to spend with her?"

"You're right. And it's just―I like her, you know? I think I'm just afraid that, if we spend all this time together, I won't be able to stop myself for really falling for her. And I don't think I can take the rejection if she doesn't feel the same way." Beca's voice cracks slightly as she finishes speaking.

"Hey, don't panic. It's gonna be fine." He says, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "You're gonna go, you're gonna have fun… as much fun as a moody, snarky, hates-the-world recluse like yourself can have whilst celebrating one of the happiest holidays of the year." Beca slugs him in the shoulder, sniggering slightly at the boy's attempt to lighten the mood.

"I don't hate the world." Jesse gives her a knowing look. "Not the _whole_ world anyways! Just most of what's in it. Music, coffee, pie… those are just three of the twelve things I enjoy in this world."

"Twelve? Quite the specific number. Well, I hope I made that list of yours. I am pretty amazing to be around…" he says, tugging on his jacket with a goofy and cocky smile.

"Sorry bud, I had to cut it off somewhere. You might've been in the top 100." She gives the boy a slight grin.

"One hundred! I'm your lesbro, Becs! Your bosom buddy that's not familiar with your bosoms at all. How could you leave me off your 'important things' list, let alone have me barely even crack a billboard top hits chart." He says with his hand against his chest, feigning hurt.

"Wow. Did you drop your balls on the way over to my dorm, or what…?"

"Shove off, Mitchell." he laughs.

"Also, please don't ever say 'Lesbro' again. Like, ever."

"Yeah, I mean, I guess I'm not technically a 'Lesbro' til you start lesbi-dating."

Beca groans and slugs Jesse in the chest again. "No! None of those stupid words come out of your mouth or I will be forced to be violent." He cocks another eyebrow. "More violent. I'm sure Lilly knows how to hide a body, so… I'm warning you."

"Okay, okay." Jesse says, raising his hands in the air in surrender. He glances at his watch again and notices the time. "Crap, I gotta get going Becs. You good then?" He asks, still concerned with the earlier emotional state of his best friend.

Softening her prior glare, she looks up at the boy in front of her. "Yeah. And thanks Jesse, for coming over and talking me down. I'm still pretty nervous about this whole trip, but I mean, you're right. It's Chloe. If I get weird, she'll be able to knock me out of it." Jesse smirks and gives her a definitive nod.

"Good. And seriously, if you need me, if you start freaking out about whatever... I'm just a phone call away okay?" Beca simply nods. Jesse's smirk morphs into a goofy grin as he stands up straight, ready to leave. He looks at her pointedly. "Well… if you think you're getting out of a hug this time Mitchell, you're sorely mistaken."

"Dude, no." Beca warns, trying to back away in the limited amount of space she has behind her in the small dorm room, while trying not to trip over her strewn out clothing.

"Just shut up, gimme a hug and consider it my Christmas present." Jesse laughs, opening his arms wide and stepping towards the petite girl in front of him. Beca relents, allowing the boy to wrap her up in a quick, but still awkward for her, hug. "Merry Christmas Becaw."

"Yeah, yeah. Merry Christmas weirdo."

Just as the duo were about to release each other from their hold, there was a quick knock at the door, followed by a bubbly redhead entering the room.

"Hey Becs! I brought you―" Chloe stops in her tracks, smile faltering slightly on her face as she watches the two casually break away from their embrace. "Oh h―hey Jesse. I uh, I didn't know you were gonna be here?" Chloe says, catching Beca's eyes before averting her own back to the treble. She mentally berated herself for stumbling over her own words. _Of course he's here dummy. Why wouldn't he be? They're probably together and were having a romantic moment before you barged in on them._

"Chloe, hey! Yeah, I―" Jesse starts.

"Was just leaving!" Beca cuts him off, while pushing the treble towards the door.

"Yep, what she said." He motions his thumb toward the surly brunette shoving him out of the room. Jesse manages to hold onto the frame and turn himself around before Beca can completely throw him out. "Alright there Pushy McPusherson, slow your roll, I'm getting out of your hair. Chloe," he looked back towards the redhead, who he noticed was standing stiffly in the center of the room, looking back at the two of them in the doorway and managing to form a tight-lipped smile on her face in response to her name being called. "Merry Christmas. I hope you guys have a great trip!" he says with all sincerity.

"You too, Jesse, Merry Christmas." Chloe responds with forced smile and a little too much cheer, trying to mask the sadness currently flooding through her.

"Becs… remember what I said, okay?" Beca nods again, grabs the door frame and begins shutting it on her friend. "Alright, well I'll see you guys in a couple weeks. Later." He waves behind him and hastily makes his way down the hall and out of sight as the door shuts completely.

Beca pushes herself off of the door, and turns slowly back around to face the object of her distress and affection. Smiling a closed-mouth smile, she runs her right hand through her hair as she steps toward the redhead standing in the middle of her room.

"Chlo, hey. I wasn't expecting you for a few more minutes. I―"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Chloe cuts her off. "I didn't mean to interrupt you guys. I probably should've called you first anyways. I just, you know, I wanted to surprise you with some breakfast, and now that I think about it, that is kinda dumb because I still could've called and told you I was on my way and―"

"Woah, Chloe, breathe! No. That's sweet. And I don't mind that you just came by. I―I was just gonna say that I was hoping to get all of this crap packed up before you got here so you weren't walking into a pigsty." She pauses and gestures to the mess around them. "But uh, yeah… that didn't go according to plan, so… yeah." Beca tacks on half-heartedly, sporting a slightly embarrassed smirk.

Silence is rarely awkward between the two girls, but in this particular instance, both could feel the strained energy in the room. Beca, feeling awkward from her emotional unload and being caught mid-hug with Jesse; Chloe, feeling awkward walking in on said hug. Before the tension became so thick you could choke on it, Chloe cleared her throat to initiate any kind of conversation.

"So… you and Jesse huh?" She grins toward the brunette, opting for teasing the younger girl to mask her own inner turmoil at the image she walked in on. "You two looked pretty close when I came in." She stated as casual as possible, trying not to allow the intense beating of her heart and the throbbing in her ears betray her own voice.

"Me and Jesse? Close? No, we―that was―I mean, technically, sure we were physically close. I guess you have to be when hugging, but he―I mean, he just um, stopped by before his flight home to, you know, say bye and stuff." Beca stutters out awkwardly.

Beca is a horrible liar when it comes to Chloe. The older Bella brings out emotions in the DJ that she never thought could crack the surface of her hardened exterior, and unbeknownst to the redhead, she manages to do it without any effort.

"Cause that's apparently what normal people do. Or at least, so I've read in books." She laughs nervously.

"I guess I was just a little surprised. Weren't you the one that said, 'Beca Mitchell doesn't do hugs?'"

"Yeah, well, unfortunately for me, it was his Christmas present. And I'm on a college student's budget, so I had to get him something inexpensive. Lucky for me, a hug doesn't cost much."

"Just a small piece of your soul?" Chloe quips, and Beca laughs.

"Pretty much. In fact, I might need to go take another shower just to get the feeling off of me."

"Well, if you need some company for another impromptu duet, I'm available." She says suggestively, throwing a wink in the brunette's direction.

"SO, um… you said something about breakfast?" Beca states loudly, attempting to change the conversation and hinder the rising blush in her cheeks. Noticing the slight flustered nature in which Beca responds, Chloe grins, receiving her desired effect on the girl, and glad for the awkwardness to have dissipated.

"Yes. Sugar-y goodness at your service, milady!" She bows slightly, presenting the white paper bag to Beca.

"Ooh, donuts!" Beca exclaims giddily, grabbing at the bag to open and stick her face in it.

"Did you get the―"

"Jelly filled? Of course." Chloe beams. "Two powdered sugar raspberry filled. Your fav." Beca lifts her head out of the bag and smiles.

"You're the best!" Beca says as she reaches into the bag to pull out a donut. She moves to clear off some questionable smelling shirts hanging from her chair, sitting down at her desk to eat.

"I know. But still, it's nice to hear every once in awhile." Chloe says airily, still grinning at the adorable girl sitting in front of her.

Having already scarfed down one of her donuts as soon as she sat in the chair, Beca looks up mid-bite of her second pastry to roll her eyes playfully at the other girl. Unbeknownst to her, however, the younger girl managed to leave a smudge of jelly and powdered sugar on the edge of her mouth. Giggling, Chloe closed the distance between the two of them, crouching down to Beca's eye-level.

"Becs, look at you. You've completely made a mess of yourself!" The lightness of Chloe's laughter fills Beca's senses, and the proximity of her face so close to her own causes a temporary short-circuit in her brain as she stares, wide-eyed, when Chloe slowly lifts her hand up to her face. "Here, let me get that."

The redhead's thumb brushes gently, but with a firm pressure to remove the offending jelly and powder from Beca's lips. The contact causes Beca's breath to hitch slightly, her eyes fluttering briefly before staring back into pure ocean blue. _Breathe, Mitchell. Inhale! Exhale! God, she's so close. Just another inch and I could feel those soft lips on mine._

 _Be cool, Beale. Don't lean in. Don't do it. But she smells so good and I would only just have to barely move in to capture her―no! Just back up slowly and don't ruin anything._

Chloe shifts slightly back on her legs, allowing for more space in between the two women, as both release a heavy breath neither knew they were holding. Of course, not one to miss an opportunity to tease the younger woman, Chloe slowly brings her jelly-covered thumb up to her own lips, sliding her tongue out and sucking the filling off.

Beca's eyes widen and her mouth drops open slightly as she watches the sudden―and very erotic―action the redhead is doing. Attempting to swallow the lump in her throat, she makes the unfortunate decision to suck in air to breathe and ends up choking on absolutely nothing.

"Woah, Becs, are you okay?" Chloe asks worriedly, as Beca attempts to wave her off and control her spluttering as a slight blush tints her cheeks.

Chloe moves back closer to the smaller girl, rubbing her hand up and down Beca's back, trying to help with her coughing fit. The gentle contact on her back and the piercing blue eyes staring into her own is doing nothing to control Beca's rapidly increasing heart rate. However, a few moments of inhaling slow breaths allow Beca to regain her composure and settle the coughing.

"Geez… must have inhaled some powdered sugar or something." Beca replies, standing to move past the kneeling redhead, trying to mask the still fading blush on her cheeks.

Smirking and cheering internally at garnering another favorable reaction from the brunette, Chloe rises to face the tiny DJ who is now standing in the middle of the room, surveying her strewn about wardrobe.

"Right. So…" Chloe leads, "You um, need a little help with the packing there, Becs?" She asks a little bewildered, finally taking in the entirety of the room.

"What gave it away?" The brunette turns her head to face Chloe, wearing a wry smile.

"Smart ass. You know, with how anal Aubrey is about organization, if she saw this place, she'd probably have an aneurysm on the spot."

"Now that's an idea! Is it too late to call her over here?" Beca's eyes light up.

"Sadly for you, she's already up in the air." Chloe chuckles at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Darn. Next time." Beca responds, pouting ever so slightly.

"You dork."

"So," Chloe continues, "What seems to be the problem with packing, other than your usual ill-preparedness and lack of decisiveness?"

"You wound me with your words, Beale." Beca dramatically brings her hand to her chest, giving the redhead an offended gaze.

"Aw, big baby, does someone need a hug?" The older Bella mockingly pouts.

"No no! You keep those insulting arms away. You've done enough damage to my ego, I don't need to be crushed by a Beale body hug too." Beca states, holding out an arm in defense between the two girls.

With a mischievous glint in her eye and a small smirk rising on the edge of her lips, as a way of saying ' _challenge accepted_ ,' Chloe quickly grabs a hold of the brunette's arm, pulling her forcibly into her own body and wrapping her arms around the petite girl.

Even though she emitted a small shriek of surprise (which she'll wholeheartedly deny doing― _You totes squealed Beca, it was adorbs._ ), Beca found herself melting into Chloe's arms, enjoying the warm embrace and smell of the other girl's scent as the senior leaned her head onto Beca's shoulder. After a much longer hug than would be considered normal for even the closest of friends, the two girls pulled apart slowly with shy smiles. Chloe, looking into the shorter girl's enchanting dark blue eyes and running her palms softly up and down the girl's arms, speaks first to break the comfortable silence.

"Okay, let's get to it." She smiles wider, letting go of the brunette to help her get to work packing.

30 minutes, a lecture on wintertime apparel (" _Becs, skinny jeans and tanktops? Are you purposefully trying to freeze to death?"_ ) and an impromptu tickle fight later (initiated by Chloe after teasing Beca with the underwear she was packing, and a fight that Beca totally won, despite what Chloe says), Beca's suitcases were finally packed.

"Alright, I think we're good to go!" The redhead exclaims.

Beca takes one last look around her room, making sure she hasn't left any necessities behind. Grabbing her jacket off the hook in her closet, she picks up her keys from the nightstand and opens her door. Dragging one of the bags with her, Chloe filters through the doorway first, followed by Beca carrying her shoulder bag and dragging the last of the suitcases with her. Shutting and locking the dorm room door, she turns to the bubbly girl beside her in the hallway.

"Ready?"

"Let's do it. Connecticut, here we come!"


	5. Chapter 5: For the First Time

A/N: I KNOW! I'm terrible. So long of a wait for this chapter. But work and life got in the way, and then I kind of just lost my inspiration and desire for writing for a little while. But I promise you, I hadn't stopped thinking about this story the whole time, and I finally buckled down and wrote a little bit here and there til it got done. So this is kind of a really extra long chapter. I had every intention of just glossing over a certain part, then thought about it and ended up writing the scene out, so… good news for those who actually like this story. It may be a bit of a wait for the next chapter again, but I've got a portion written already and will try push through my inability to stay focused on stuff. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: For the First Time**

The flight into JFK was long and exhausting, as was to be expected. Once they landed and obtained their luggage, the two girls hailed a cab and made their way out to the Beale homestead in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was a relatively quiet ride, Beca gazing out the window in a child-like wonder, taking in the beautiful scenery. Being from Maine, Beca wasn't unaccustomed to a white Christmas. However, it has been a good number of years since she's truly appreciated the type of surroundings this time of year brings.

As the car ride drew closer to their destination, Chloe glanced over in Beca's direction, seeing her features reflected in the window with the fading sunlight in the distance. She caught the slight curve of her lips, the sparkle in her eyes. She could see a happiness in Beca she's rarely come across before, and it made Chloe smile.

The cab rolled up into the semi-circle driveway of Chloe's parents' house, and the two girls stepped out of the vehicle, making a bee-line for the trunk to retrieve their suitcases. The last of their bags had been set on the snowy ground by the driver, and as Beca moved to grab her wallet to split the cab fare, Chloe waved her off.

"No way, Mitchell. You're my guest, you're not paying for any of this."

"You know, that excuse is going to wear out at some point on this trip." Chloe grins and pays the man his fare plus a generous tip, wishing him a happy holiday in the process. As the cab drives off, Beca turns towards Chloe's parents' home and really takes in the sight of it for the first time.

"Holy shit!" The tiny brunette exclaims as she gazes up at the gigantic Colonial house in front of her. "How come you never told me you were the daughter of a mob boss or senator or whatever, cause that's clearly who lives here!"

Chloe just glances over towards the gaping girl. "What… it's not _that_ big."

"Dude, your house looks like it ate five other houses!"

"Oh stop, you're overreacting Becs. Now come on, everyone's waiting to see us and meet you!" The redhead says, grabbing the petite girl's forearm and motioning her toward the front porch. Beca shoulders her duffle bag and grabs her suitcase handle as she stares back towards the intimidating home in front of her.

 _Why am I so nervous? It's just meeting Chloe's family. As a "friend."_ Beca has to remind herself. _I'm just her friend. There's nothing to be nervous about._ She takes a deep breath as she tries to mentally prepare herself for what's about to come.

Chloe can sense the anxiety coming off Beca in waves, and reaches down to squeeze her hand. "Hey, you okay?"

Beca's hand burns with heat at the contact of Chloe's hand, and she exhales a deep breath she'd been holding, the moisture easily seen floating out in front of her due to the cold winter evening. "I feel like I'm being brought home to meet the parents for the first time." She tacks on an awkward laugh.

Chloe lets out a small giggle, glancing down briefly at their entwined fingers. "Well that's kind of exactly what's happening, Becs."

If she was being honest, Chloe was feeling pretty nervous herself. Sure, it wasn't like she was bringing Beca home as her girlfriend, even though she wishes she was… but she still hoped her family would like her and that Beca won't completely bolt once she is bombarded by her parents. Chloe loves her family to death, but they tend to be a little intrusive.

"Yeah, but I mean like in a relationship-y kind of way. Like, there's gonna be a .45 and a shovel waiting for me when I meet your dad." She says, turning to the redhead with a mildly frightened expression on her face.

Chloe laughs at this. "Oh don't be silly. Besides, my dad isn't a fan of guns… He does have a chainsaw and a wood chipper out back, though." She trails off teasingly, dropping Beca's hand as she walks ahead towards the front door.

"Ah. Super." Beca mumbles. Tightening her grip on the bag strap dangling over her shoulder and the suitcase handle in her other hand, she trudges forward through the slush after Chloe.

Both girls had managed to pull their luggage up the front porch steps with relative ease, but before Chloe could grasp the handle to enter the house, the front door was being flung open with such haste that Beca thought it might have been ripped off it's hinges. The only thing her wide eyes are able to capture is a flurry of red barreling into the senior Bella standing next to her.

"AHHH!" Shrieks the red blur in excitement. "My beautiful baby girl. Oh, I'm so happy you're finally here!" Chloe's head is blocking the face of the other woman, but from the brilliantly wide smile plastered on her face, Beca can tell she's just as excited and happy as the person she has wrapped up in her arms.

After a few moments, the two women pull apart from their death grip embrace, and Beca recognizes the former blur in question to be none other than Chloe's mother. Beca has seen pictures of the woman before, as Chloe has hundreds of them littering her walls and desk space back at her apartment. But now that Beca is seeing her in person for the first time, with her light blue eyes, wavy red hair and bright smile, Beca can say with certainty that Chloe is the spitting image of her mother.

The older Beale woman turns away from her daughter to face the petite brunette in front of her. "So this must be the infamous Beca Mitchell. It's so nice to finally meet you dear."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Beale." Beca manages to smile genuinely as she reaches her hand out toward the older woman.

"Dianna, please. And nonsense!" She slaps Beca's hand playfully away and leans in toward the girl. "We hug in this family missy." Dianna says as she wraps the girl up in a soft and warm embrace. "Which is something you best get used to." Dianna turns her head slightly and whispers in Beca's ear, "I have a feeling this won't be the last Christmas you spend with us." Beca pulls back from the hug with a slightly confused look on her face, and the older Beale shoots her a wink and a sly grin before turning back to her daughter. _So the wink is genetic… huh._

Beca quickly pulls out of her daze. "Right, hugging… I really shouldn't be surprised after dealing with this one for the last few months." She motions her thumbs towards the girl in question standing next to her. Dianna chuckles lightly. "And _infamous_?" Beca emphasizes, tilting her head, looking directly into slightly widened blue eyes. "You talk about me a lot then, hmm?" She says, quirking an eyebrow, teasing the redhead next to her.

Trying to conceal the rising blush in her cheeks, and thankful for the setting sun and increasing nightfall around them to assist in that, Chloe responds in turn. "Only all bad things, I promise." She manages to sneak in a wink, something not unnoticed by her mother.

"So you two, you must be exhausted from all the travel. Come on then, let's get you inside. The boys can't wait to see you!"

The three women walk into the house, Chloe and Beca dragging their bags behind them and setting them in the large open hallway near the staircase. Dianna leads the way into the office right off the foyer to find her husband.

"Sweetie, guess who finally made it here!"

As Beca rounds the frame of the doorway, finding herself sandwiched in between the two Beale women, she sees an older man in about his late 50s with salt and pepper hair stand from the desk he was previously sitting at. She catches a glimpse of a shining object on the desk before the man heading towards the group speaks.

"Pardon the mess, I was just cleaning my knife collection." The man says in a deep and intimidating voice, making eye contact with the tiny brunette as he makes his way around the desk to greet the women.

Feeling as if that statement was made directly for her and wondering about the implications behind it, Beca clears her throat loudly and averts her eyes, suddenly feeling very awkward under his pointed stare, as Chloe runs up to the man for a hug.

"Daddy, hi!" She exclaims happily whilst throwing her arms around the man's shoulders for a hug.

"Hey hunny, how's my cub bear doing? You have a good trip here?" He asks after releasing the girl and kissing his daughter on the top of her head.

"Yeah, the flight and drive were good." Chloe catches Beca's eye and reaches her arm out, motioning the brunette to come closer to her. "Daddy, I want you to meet someone." She says, finally grabbing ahold of the girl. "This is Beca Mitchell. Becs, this is my dad Jim."

Wanting to be polite, Beca covertly wipes her sweaty palm on the side of her jeans before extending her hand out to shake the man's hand.

"Hello sir." Beca manages to say calmly.

For his part, Mr. Beale was standing resolute in his attempt to appear intimidating so as to gauge the character of this new person his little girl has brought home for them to meet. Crossing his arms and setting his jaw, he pulls out the one line that nine times out of ten, garners the amusing reaction he's waiting for.

"So Beca… what are your intentions with my daughter?" He says with a heated glare that could melt steel.

Beca's eyes widen like huge saucers and her face pales significantly as she coughs roughly at the completely unexpected question from the older man.

"I―I―I, uh―I… wh―what?" She splutters out, her brain not being able to form any kind of response. _What the fuck?! Do they think I'm Chloe's girlfriend? Not that I would mind that. Hell, I wish that was true._ _Shit what do I say? WhaddoIsay!? I've seen your daughter naked sir and I want to have her redheaded babies but really we're just friends and it's killing me inside? Brain, we didn't prepare for this!_ Before her thoughts could spiral any further, and her heart gives out due to the speed at which it's beating, Chloe interrupts her internal panic attack.

"Daddy! Stop it, you're terrifying her." Chloe reprimands before turning slightly to face the tiny DJ. "Becs, pay no attention to him, he loves riling up anyone I ever bring home, friend or not. In fact, he gave Aubrey a hell of a time her first visit, isn't that right dad?" She says, clasping the younger girl's hand, trying to ease the panic away from the now frozen brunette.

"Ha!" Jim laughs boisterously, "And that girl sure took it like a champ. She even managed to turn my questioning on me!" He says with a bit of pride, thinking about the girl the Beale clan has welcomed into their family like a second daughter. "How is Aubrey doing?"

Chloe begins chatting with her dad, and with the change in conversation topic briefly taking the attention off her, Beca takes a moment to compose herself.

 _Breathe, Mitchell. Come on, you've barely made it through the front door and you're already panicking and acting like a weirdo. Get your shit together. Just act like a normal human being when interacting, and remember to breathe. You'll be fine. Alright, get out of your head and focus on their conversation. Oh shit, now they're staring at you. Did someone ask a question? Crap_ ― _Pretend you were listening. Say something!_

"Uh, what?" _Smooth._

"Mom just asked if you're okay with us sharing a room, seeing as the others are all pretty much claimed by everyone else." Chloe reiterates, though with a hint of shyness in her voice.

"Share?" Beca squeaks out.

 _Share? Me and Chloe? Together? In the same room, in the same bed? Bodies laying right next to each other all night? Oh shit. What if she sleeps naked? What if I sleep naked!? Wait, why would I sleep naked? Also it's winter. No one's sleeping naked. Crap. Now I can't stop thinking about Chloe naked. Stop it brain! Showering naked in the bathroom that's right next to the room we're sharing. Enough! Remember how perky her breasts looked when you had your shower duet?_

"Beca!" Chloe says loudly enough to shake the brunette out of her internal meltdown. "Are you feeling ok Becs? You're looking really flushed." Chloe says curiously, lifting her hand to tuck a stray hair from Beca's face behind her ear.

"Yeah yeah, no I―I'm good. Great even! Um just, it's uh I guess a little warm in here." She says, tugging slightly at her jacket. "You know, compared to outside. Where we just were. And now we're here. Talking. About going up to our shared room." Beca rambles out, hands falling limply at her sides.

Standing off to the side with her husband and smirking while watching the scene unfold in front of them, Dianna decides to jump in and alleviate Beca's anxiety.

"Alright, Cubbie," the elder redhead looks towards her daughter. "Your room is all set up for you two, so I'd say recruit one of your brothers to help take all your stuff up there, get settled in, and dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes."

Not wanting to be rude from earlier, Jim, having shrugged off his intimidating persona in exchange for a warm smile, extends his hand out towards the small girl. "Beca, sorry for the charade earlier. We just like to have a little fun in the Beale household. We're happy to have you here. Please make yourself at home, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask one of us." Beca takes the offered hand, shaking it in stride and smiling at the hospitality.

"Thank you Mr. Beale―"

"Jim." He interrupts.

"Jim. Thank you, and I will." Beca says.

With that, Mr and Mrs Beale head off towards the kitchen, leaving the two girls alone in the front entry.

"Becs, are you really okay with sharing a room for the next week? Cause if you're not, I can sleep on the couch, or I'm sure I can get Caleb and Conner to bunk together and take one of their rooms..."

"Chloe. I'm positive, I have no problem sharing with you." She says with a soft but shy smile.

"Good." Chloe lets out a puff of air. "Great, okay, well let me just go find one of my brothers and we can just―"

As Chloe is speaking, Beca sees two guys approaching Chloe from behind, motioning to the staring brunette to keep quiet as they sneak up on their unsuspecting sister. The older looking man starts to lower his body, reaching his arms out to grab the redhead from behind her legs. In one fluid motion, the man manages to spin Chloe around and hoist her body up and over his left shoulder, spinning her around in mid-air as the girl lets out a high-pitched squeal of surprise.

"Oh my gosh! Caleb, STOP!" The redhead tries to get out through her breathy laughter. "Put me down, or I swear, you will be so very sorry!" She says, laughing loudly, not sounding even slightly intimidating with her threats. After two more full spins of the redheaded woman, the tall and solidly built man sets her down on the ground, holding her arm as she regains her balance.

"That was SO not funny you jerk," Chloe laughs, punching Caleb firmly in the chest.

"Aw but you just made it so easy." The man replied, chuckling, before shifting his attention to the small brunette woman standing next to his sister, looking mildly alarmed at the man's now intense gaze. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you had a new girlfriend!" Beca's eyes widen ten-fold, and Caleb continues. "I thought we were closer than that, sis. I tell you about all my newest relationships. I'm hurt. Truly and deeply." He says in a fake offended tone, placing his hand to his chest.

"One-night stands and the women you meet at strip clubs with your buddies do not count as relationships." She tosses back at the man. This is a game Chloe and her brother would play―making sexual jokes and insults at the expense of themselves or the other. Both had a pretty high tolerance for embarrassment, so they would take any opportunity to try and embarrass the other with their comments or jokes in front of new people they meet or in large public settings. Sometimes they'd even give out points if they managed to succeed, but it didn't happen often. It was something they began not long after Chloe came out to her family in high school as bisexual. It was kind of initiated when Caleb joked about Chloe being able to hook up with twice as many people as him now, and that his legacy as the ladies man of the Beale house was going to be in jeopardy. It was something Chloe appreciated about her brother―him being able to joke with her like nothing had changed, that despite being attracted to both sexes, a secret she held onto for almost a year, she was still the same person; she was his sister and nothing about her was different. Even with a five-year age gap, they were close. Caleb and Chloe really bonded over their singledom, eventually becoming constantly involved in the others' love life and sexual exploits. Their oldest brother, Charlie has been married for 5 years, and in the same relationship for 8, while their youngest brother Conner was still pretty young at 17, and didn't quite have the sexual experience of his older siblings. So they leaned on each other, having had a lot of similar experiences up to this point.

"THAT… is… not the point." The man points accusingly at his sister, deciding to continue their game. "Besides, Candi with an "I" always asks about the family when we have our special time together. It's usually after her mouth is free again, but that's totally a relationship-y thing, right?" He says, grinning towards his sister while side-eying the embarrassed face on the brunette girl next to her.

"Okay, gross, stop being you for two seconds. This," she says while wrapping her right arm around the DJ's shoulders, "is my best friend and fellow Bella, Beca. Becs, this is my idiot older brother, Caleb."

Beca looks up at the man standing in front of her. Caleb is a pretty tall guy. Granted anyone standing in Beca Mitchell's presence is going to look like a giant, but this guy was easily 6'4" and built like a linebacker―large muscles, but still lean. He was handsome, with soft blue eyes and a bit of scruff covering a strong jaw line, but rather than the red hair that topped Chloe and her mother, Caleb had dark brown hair matching that of his father.

" _Best friend_ Beca, huh?" He says, reaching a hand out to the woman, Beca taking his large hand to shake. "Chlo, you know this is a safe space." Caleb states as a mischievous smile starts to form on his face. "You don't have to pretend to be friends just so mom and dad will let you share a room and you guys can secretly sex it up at night." He tacks on a wink for good measure, staring Beca straight in the eyes. Beca's whole body tenses up and she splutters a cough as Chloe concedes to her brother's torment.

"Alright! You. Leave. Now." Chloe is sporting a furiously deep blush as she starts pushing Caleb past their younger brother, and out of the hall towards the living room, leaving a reddening brunette in her wake. "I am banning you from speaking. Ever again!" She whispers harshly when they're out of earshot from Beca.

Caleb abruptly turns around, not allowing himself to be easily ushered out any further, his body weight becoming too much for the smaller woman to continue pushing.

"Wait a second... Is my little sister, _the_ _Chloe Beale_ , blushing? Did I actually embarrass you?!" Caleb says, in a more giddy manner than he'd ever admit.

"YESSS! Okay, yes!" She responds in a harsh whisper, looking back over her shoulder towards Beca. "Look, I've only talked about this with mom so far, and I haven't told you yet cause… I dunno, yeah we chat about actual relationships we have, but we normally talk about hook ups and flings, and all that, and this is just different for me this time." Chloe looks back into her brother's face, steadying her breath. "But if you must know, I―uhg," she sighs. "I really like Beca, okay? Shut up!" She admonishes, seeing the rapidly growing shit-eating grin on her brother's face. "And she doesn't know I like her, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything or make any of your normal brutish sexual comments and jokes around her about us being a thing." Pleading eyes lay behind the glare she's giving him.

His grin softens, and he places a comforting hand on his little sister's shoulder. "Alright sis, I promise."

"Thanks big bro," Chloe says while giving him a quick hug.

"But that doesn't mean I won't play the big brother card and make sure she's good enough for you while you guys are here. That's my job and my birthright." He says in her ear as they break away from their sweet sibling moment. Chloe just smiles and heads back towards the front hall.

"Oh and Chlo?" She turns back around as he continues off toward the kitchen, "That was so like 500 points." He laughs loudly as the redhead flips him off and turns to head back to Beca.

"I am so sorry about him. He was dropped on his head many times as a child which damaged all his social skills and higher levels of thinking."

"Yeah, totally cool. No worries." Beca says, bobbing her head up and down like an idiot in her attempt to appear chill.

She was glad Chloe had stepped away for a moment so she could try and clear her head of the explicit images that entered her brain at the mention of her and Chloe having sex.

"So yeah, that was Caleb, and this is my younger brother, Conner." She thumbs behind her toward the tall and handsome teenager. In all the slight chaos of the previous moment, Beca had forgotten the guy had still been standing back there in the hall.

"Well, hello there beautiful. Can I assist you with those bags?" Conner steps past his sister and straight up to Beca, giving the girl his most charming grin.

Beca's eyes widen slightly as her eyebrows lift high on her forehead. She bites back a laugh as she leans slightly to her right, looking past the flirtatious boy towards Chloe, silently asking the older girl to help her out of this incredibly awkward situation.

Chloe, for her part, is simultaneously trying to cover the laugh threatening to burst from her mouth and push down the instant feeling of jealousy bubbling in her stomach. _Jealous of your little brother, really Chloe? Sure he's a handsome guy, a perk of those amazing Beale genes. But Beca wouldn't go for that, would she?_ Chloe's briefly lost in thought as Beca continues to stare at her. _Well they are close in age, I'm sure they'd have some things in common…_ part of her brain sneaks in.

Chloe quickly shakes herself out of her reverie and comes to her friend's aid. "I don't think she's interested, Casanova. But you can still make yourself useful." She teases her brother, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, nudging him out of the way and toward the pile of luggage. Grabbing for the brunette's hand, she pulls her towards the staircase. "Come on Becs, my room's this way."

As they ascend the stairs to Chloe's childhood room, she thinks to herself. _Can't blame the guy for trying though. I'd totes hit on her too if I were a guy. 'You should just be able to sack up and hit on her now, chicken.' Oh shut up, brain._

Reaching the top of the stairs, Chloe leads Beca down a wide hall off to the right, passing a large upstairs living space containing a large couch set up near a big screen tv, a multitude of game tables, and a wet bar towards the back corner near the double doors exiting to a deck outside. They also pass an office and a full bath before turning left down a corner at the end and heading towards what Beca is assuming to be the bubbly woman's room.

"Welcome to Casa de Chloe!" The redhead says as they step through the doorway. It's a fairly large room painted a pale blue, with a queen sized bed situated against the wall directly across from the door. Off to the left of the room is a large bay window gazing out towards the backyard, a golden telescope standing in the back corner near a large and full bookcase. Towards the right of the room there is a door leading to what Beca assumes is the en suite bathroom and closet. A tall and wide cherrywood wardrobe stands against the wall where the door is, and a modest sized desk on the other side adorned with picture frames of a younger Chloe. It was well decorated; clean and fit for a guest room, but still with hints of the room's past occupant.

Chloe, having placed hers and Beca's carry-on duffle bags down at the foot of the bed, watches as Beca takes in her childhood room and walks over to Chloe's desk to admire her old pictures.

Beca runs her hand over the tops of several of the frames, giving each one a proper look before settling on one towards the end of the desk set in a simple silver frame. It was a picture of Chloe, no older than 8, dressed in her ice skating gear with two braided pigtails and a wide smile showing a missing front tooth. She's being lifted up in the air by a teenaged boy, Charlie she would guess, whilst a younger boy, Caleb has a tiny toddler flung over his shoulder facing the camera. All four siblings in one picture looking so carefree and happy. Beca can't help but smile serenely. She delicately places the frame back in it's spot before immediately grabbing the one next to it.

"Oh my God!" Beca laughs out loud. She's staring at a pre-teenaged Chloe wearing what looks to be a full on nerdy doctor Halloween costume including a white lab coat with scrubs underneath, a stethoscope wrapped around her neck and thick black glasses perched on her nose. She was standing with a blonde girl wearing something similar, both girls excitedly posing in a science lab, the blonde with a handful of beakers and test tubes, the 13 year old Chloe is laughing into the camera holding a clipboard to her chest, with one of those skeleton guys displayed next to her sporting a mustache and a sombrero. "That's seriously the cutest thing." She says, smirking. Beca feels Chloe lean over her shoulder to see the picture Beca is laughing about.

"Seventh grade. They let us dress up at school for Halloween. And anyways that's nothing. You just wait Mitchell… you're in for a world of cute this week." She grins. "So, if you wanna get washed up real quick, we can head downstairs for dinner." Beca nods, and after placing the frame back on the desk, heads across the room.

As Beca freshens up in the en suite bathroom, Conner brings the rest of their bags into the room before heading down himself and Chloe makes her way to the full bath down the hall to freshen up herself. When both women are done, Chloe grabs Beca from her room and they head downstairs towards the kitchen.

Hearing laughter as they round the corner, Beca spots everyone situated around the large island in the kitchen. It's a beautifully designed kitchen, off-white cabinets with butcher block countertops. It was not too overdone, homely and inviting, but still built and stocked like a master chef could come in and make a multi-course meal.

Beca notices the presence of two additional people she hadn't seen yet, and at the sound of a high pitched squeal, a third she's assuming is a small child. As Caleb leans backwards to check out the approaching duo, Beca gets a glimpse of a man with brownish-red hair holding what looks like a 1 or 2 year old in his lap as a blonde woman makes silly faces at him.

"Hey everyone!" Chloe greets. "Becs, let me introduce you to my oldest brother, Charlie, and his wife Sara," Both say hello and wave politely at Beca as she returns the gesture. "And this cute little man," she says rounding the island to pick up her nephew, "is Cooper." She holds up the small boy's hand to wave at Beca. "Say hi to auntie Becs, Coop."

"Hey there little dude." Beca says, holding out her index finger to tickle him in the chest. Cooper squeaks out a laugh and grabs ahold of the brunette's finger, shaking it vigorously.

"I think someone likes you." Chloe says with a laugh of her own, the rest of the family looking on with smiles.

"Woah there kid, quite the grip. But I'm gonna need this back," she says, trying to gently wrestle her finger free. "Can't mix without it." Cooper laughs as if she just said the funniest joke in the world.

Caleb, who is standing directly beside his sister, snickers and mumbles just so she can hear, "Couldn't do something else without it either."

If Chloe weren't holding a toddler in her arms, she would have turned and smacked the back of her brother's head. Rather, she shifts her body and kicks him slightly in the shin.

"Ow! Jerk." He whines, though having fully expected the retaliation.

"Serves you right." She whispers in his direction before handing the 2 year old back over to his mother.

"Well now that everyone is here," Dianna starts. Chloe catches Caleb starting to open his mouth and instantly shoots him a vicious glare to keep him from making any kind of comment about their delayed arrival to the kitchen. "Why don't we all grab a seat and dig into dinner. Your father is a half second away from devouring this entire lasagna himself, leaving the rest of us to fight one another over any remaining scraps."

The group heads over to the large dining table in the breakfast nook area off the kitchen. Each person grabs their seat, Chloe claiming a spot in the middle, making sure Beca ends up right next to her at the end. As soon as Sara has Cooper situated in the booster seat next to hers at the end of the table on the opposite side and sits down herself, the group collectively starts piling food onto their plates.

The conversation is easy around the table. Charlie updates his dad on some of the work he's doing at his law firm. Caleb and Conner begin a heated debate about some sci-fi/fantasy show, while Sara entertains Chloe and her mom with cute stories of Cooper, all the while Beca sits quietly eating her food, looking around the table and taking in the whole thing.

Even though she's not participating in much of the conversation around the table, Beca still feels engaged, listening intently and laughing with the others when the moments arise.

Glancing to her left, she watches Chloe fork bites of lasagna into her smiling mouth as her mother recounts another humorous story, this one from an art gallery she attended.

"It was the funniest darn thing I'd seen in awhile. They were all just huddled around it, snapping all the photos they could, completely enamoured and impressed at the genius behind it." She says using air quotes, laughing through her words.

"Are you serious?! A pair of glasses on the floor?" Sara asks with disbelief.

"Yep. There was a guy practically on his stomach snapping photos with his high end camera." The three women were laughing hysterically together, while Beca leaned on her elbow, grinning at the story.

"Oh yeah, and the best part," Dianna says through gasps of breaths, clutching her hand to her chest, "A gentleman walks up to the crowd maybe 30 minutes after the crowd had formed, squeezes his way through, picks the glasses up off the ground and places them on his face. I swear there was a collective gasp. He simply explained he dropped them almost an hour earlier, and only found them because standing at another display, a man showed him a picture he took of the beautiful piece of art over in the back of the gallery. The whole crowd started dispersing after that, quite embarrassingly I might add."

By this point, Chloe was in a fit, throwing her head back in deep laughter at the story, while Sara and Dianna wiped away the tears forming in their eyes. Though Beca was enjoying the story, she had more taken the opportunity to watch Chloe's reaction throughout, loving the way the redhead's eyes would crinkle at the edges, how the corners of her mouth would creep up into a smirk as her mother got deeper into the tale, and how it became her beautiful full blown smile at the reveal of the object. Beca loves each and every stage of Chloe's smile, and relishes in the view sitting next to the woman as the remainder of the laughter died down.

Sitting back in her seat, Beca watches as Chloe rotates to face her, grinning, as she wraps her right arm around the brunette's shoulders and leans in close to the tiny DJ.

"Hey, you having a good time?" She hears the redhead ask softly.

"Yeah, I mean the dinner is great. The company even more so." As she smirks, Beca can feel the grip on her shoulder tighten a bit, squeezing her body closer to the redhead before it loosens up again. Though the moment is brief, Beca felt a kind of warmth blanket around her, pulling her deeper into this sense of love and belonging she hadn't felt in so many years. Just being in the presence of this whole family is engulfing her with these feelings. Before Beca has too long to analyze everything, she hears herself being addressed from somewhere at the table.

"So Beca, what are you studying at Barden?" The question coming from Charlie, sitting directly across the from her.

"I'm not. I-I mean I'm undeclared." She manages to say, stumbling over her words a little.

"Oh and why is that, every major sounding too appealing or not at all?" He chuckles.

"Um, no reason in particular. Just um, keeping my options open I guess." She replies, wanting to be vague enough to answer the question, but not wanting to give any indication yet to Chloe that she won't be here after this school year. She hasn't exactly found the right time to have that conversation with the girl, thinking whenever it happens, Chloe will just be disappointed in her decision and hate her for abandoning the future Bellas. Not wanting to face that, Beca has been putting it off as long as possible.

Chloe, for her part, can tell something is off with the brunette. Rather than cause a scene asking the reserved girl about it in front of everyone at the table, she files the younger Bella's behavior away in her mind to revisit at a later, more private time.

"Well I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. Took this one 2 years and declaring in 4 other majors before she settled on education." Jim throws in, pointing a finger towards his daughter. "Indecisive this one can be." He says to Beca with a chuckle.

"Hey now! I'm not indecisive, I just have high standards for my future and had to make sure it was the right choice." Chloe says in defense of herself.

"Well I think education is a perfect fit for you." Beca adds in. "You're super sweet and caring and understanding, all great qualities for a teacher." Chloe smiles at Beca's statement. "Besides, if you have the patience to teach the Bellas choreography, you will have no problem being able to teach hyperactive kids all day." The rest of the table laughs, Chloe included, knowing exactly how true that is.

"Thanks Beca."

"So what other majors did you consider before choosing education?" Beca asks.

"Let's see. Well first was journalism, cause I thought I'd get the chance to travel the world, but it was hard to keep up with all the articles they required of you to write. Also a lot of news in the world is just really sad and I didn't want to have to write about it." Beca nodded, knowing how sensitive the redhead could be. "Then came psychology, art history, and finally pre-med." Chloe says, ticking off her fingers one by one.

"Pre-med? Wow." Beca says surprised.

"Yeah, ambitious, but I kinda had this small dream of being a doctor when I was a teen. Helping people, saving lives. Thought I'd try it out. However, I realized very quickly I was not cut out for that one."

"Oh don't undersell it Chlo." Caleb interjects. Turning to Beca specifically, he continues. "She was obsessed with Grey's Anatomy for several years. She had the lab coat and scrubs, even her own personal stethoscope. For like a year straight she would walk around all dressed up giving us fake diagnoses." He starts snickering through his story. "And let's not forget Chlo-bear here had the biggest crush on that one doctor... what was it?" Caleb asks the table.

"McDreamy." Conner adds in a silly mocking tone.

"Yah, that's it. Chloe had every intention of getting steamy with McDreamy and becoming Dr Shepard-Beale." Caleb bursts out laughing. Chloe throws a breadstick at his head, which Caleb deftly catches and proceeds to eat. "Mmm, thanks sis."

"You guys are assholes. I was twelve! And I wasn't delusional or anything, I knew he was fictional!" Her whole family is laughing at the story and the redhead's reaction.

"So is that why you dressed as a doctor for Halloween in that picture?" Beca asks smugly.

Chloe sighs heavily through her hands that are covering her face. She turns her head to face the brunette. "Guilty," she says scrunching her nose, looking mildly embarrassed. Beca thinks she looks adorable. "Well! I'm sure Beca would love to hear embarrassing childhood stories about someone else now."

"Nah, I'm good, proceed with more tales of this maiden's youth!" Beca says with mirth, waving her hand about.

"No no," Chloe exclaims, lightly slapping her hand over Beca's mouth. "She's weary from her travels today and doesn't know what she's saying."

With her attempt at speaking being muffled, Beca licks the inside of Chloe's palm, receiving the desired effect when Chloe squeals and removes her hand. "Caleb, another! Go!" She quickly gets out before being smothered by the redhead again.

"Well there was this one time she―"

"Caleb got stuck outside on the frozen pond naked once!" Chloe rushes out, drawing the attention away from another story about her.

"What!?" Beca barks out laughing, as does the rest of the table. "Okay I definitely have to hear this story now."

The group eventually shifts themselves from the dining table over to the plush couches in the living room, Dianna having prepared hot cocoa for everyone. They continue regaling each other with humorous stories of the past until the hour starts to run late. Sara, having dispersed earlier to put Cooper to bed, was joined not long after by Charlie, tired from their drive over in the afternoon. Jim and Dianna called it a night as well, but not before reminding the kids to be up at an early hour for breakfast before making the tree trek tomorrow. Beca remained propped up in the middle of the couch next to Chloe, as the older girl continued to reminisce with her brothers for another hour. It wasn't until a noticeably loud lawn escaped her lips that Chloe suggested they all turn in for the night. The four of them traverse the stairs and say their good nights before retiring to their respective rooms.

Walking into the bedroom and shutting the door, both girls grab their suitcases to dig out pajamas and their toiletry bags.

"So um do you wanna go first?" Beca thumbs towards the bathroom door.

"No you go ahead. I'll just run to the one down the hall." With that, Chloe smiles and pops out of the bedroom while Beca makes her way into the en suite to brush her teeth and change.

As she's washing the remainder of her makeup off her face, Beca takes a brief moment to reflect back on the active day she has experienced.

It's been, well, Beca has lost count since the last time she experienced anything like a big, happy family dinner... perhaps some holiday gathering a year or two before her dad left them. Every interaction up to this point after arriving at the Beale household has certainly been a culture shock for the brunette, inciting a couple― okay several― mini anxiety attacks. But now several hours into this whole trip, she's starting to feel more at ease with the company around her. She didn't think it would happen this quickly, or possibly at all while here, but Beca feels wholeheartedly embraced by this wacky but loving family unit. She feels like she belongs for the first time in a very long time. And all of this came to fruition because of the very redhead out in the next room. _She really is something special._

Beca sighs and pats her face dry with a towel before staring directly into her mirrored reflection. _Well, you've gradually gotten better tonight with keeping your cool in front of the family, maybe now you can focus on keeping it together around Chloe._ With a resounding nod, she turns the door handle and flicks off the light.

When Beca emerges from the en suite bathroom, she finds Chloe occupying the side of the bed closest to the window. The redhead is sitting with her toned and tanned legs bent and stretched out in front of her, massaging lotion into them. It takes every ounce of strength to keep her jaw from dropping to the floor as she stands rooted to the ground, mesmerized by the actions of the gorgeous woman in front of her.

 _Well fuck me. What was that about keeping your cool? How am I supposed to share a bed with that gorgeous creature?! With the legs and the… everything! Yeah, all systems are currently set for a crash landing in the opposite direction of cool. Wow, did they just turn the heat up in here?_

Chloe can feel a heated stare burning into her. She looks up to find Beca standing completely still just in front of the bathroom door. Chloe smiles towards her and notices the brunette's eyes quickly shift from her general direction to the empty space next to her, then bounce around the rest of the room nervously.

"You planting roots over there, Becs?" Chloe asks with mirth in her voice, closing up her lotion bottle and putting it away in the nightstand next to her.

Beca remains vocally unresponsive, but clears her throat, then exhales slowly and deeply. Gathering her courage, she takes a few tentative steps towards the queen-sized bed. Chloe can see a slight hesitation in the younger woman's eyes as she approaches, and attempts to ease whatever tension Beca may be feeling.

"Come on, silly." She says, patting the empty space in the bed next to her. "I don't bite. Unless you're into that kind of thing." She throws in a seductive wink and smirk at the end, hoping to garner a reaction out of the petite brunette, even if a flustered one.

Chloe must have really been exhausted and her imagination playing tricks on her, because rather than the usual stuttering of words, the girl remained quiet, but she could have sworn she heard the brunette mumbled something akin to, "Who says I'm not into that," as Beca slid into the bed. Chloe shakes her head of the thought― _hope?_ ―and glances back toward the girl settling herself under the covers awkwardly, picking at the edge of the comforter.

A few moments pass with Chloe staring over at the brunette before the girl in question raises her gaze to meet her baby blues. Beca smiles shyly before glancing back down at the comforter she's taken an interest in. Unable to stand it anymore, Chloe breaks the slightly awkward silence. "You know, Becs, if this makes you uncomfortable, I can always go sleep on the couch in the den out there―" Beca cuts her off, finally speaking since entering the room earlier.

"Chloe, no… It―it's fine. I'm fine. I'm totally cool, with this. I mean, we're both adults right, and it's not like we've never slept together before." Beca sees Chloe dip her head and grin, and it takes Beca's brain another moment before registering the words that just came out of her mouth.

"AH, NO, I mean sleep... together... as in lay in the same bed, and sleep, but NOT naked. No. Cause like, that would have been pretty noticeable, not that I'd be noticing you if you were naked. I mean I _would_ ―cause have you seen you, and it's kinda hard not to stare at a naked person in general and I'm just going to stop talking now." The brunette finishes abruptly, snapping her jaw shut and flushing a deep shade of scarlet as she tries to make herself appear as small and unnoticeable as possible, wishing the Earth would just open up and swallow her in this moment.

Deciding to take a little mercy on the flustered DJ, Chloe refrains from teasing her about the phrasing. "Well I'm glad you're _fine and totally cool,_ because I really wasn't looking forward to the couch. Not when this bed is sooo comfortable," She says, leaning back into her pillows and stretching out under the covers.

Beca notices the redhead ignore her embarrassing display of word vomit and is thankful for it. The brunette sinks lower underneath the covers, leaning back into her pillows to get comfortable before broaching a topic of conversation that's been on her mind since they arrived. Several minutes of silence pass before she speaks again.

"Um, so," Beca starts, as she's picking at the bed cover again. _Should I really ask? I mean it's private, and she'd tell me if she wanted me to know. So maybe I shouldn't. But I kinda just wanna know, otherwise I may go crazy thinking about it._

"Yeah Becs? What's up?" Chloe turns her upper body to face the brunette, leaning on her left arm for support.

"I was kinda wondering, from earlier, since I mean, your brother said something and your dad implied…" _I can't just spit it out can I?_

"What sweetie? You can tell me." Chloe places her right hand atop Beca's and is looking into her eyes deeply, trying to convey any type of comfort she can onto the nervous looking girl.

"W-why um, I mean i-it seemed like they thought we are, were, that um, that I was your girlfriend?" Beca says as more of a question than a statement. Chloe's eyebrow arches slowly.

"A-and I was just wondering, I mean do they, are you… I mean they seemed okay with the idea of it. That you could've had one." And with the end of her sentence trailing off a bit, Beca's brow furrowed in curiosity but her eyes hesitant to outright ask her question, Chloe understands.

"Yeah, Becs. Um, they would be because… I'm bisexual. So I kinda, well not kinda, I do... like women, just as much as I like men."

It takes several minutes for Beca's brain to processes this newly acquired information.

 _Chloe likes women? Chloe. Likes. Women. Chloe likes women! Holy shit! Okay, shit, breathe Mitchell. We talked about this. Inhale. Exhale. She likes women. That doesn't mean anything for you. Well it means I qualify for genders she likes. But who knows if she even likes you. You're a weird, sarcastic, introverted recluse. The complete opposite of everything amazing that is Chloe Beale. Why on earth would she be interested in you? But… BUT, maybe. Maybe, I can hope? Right?_

Chloe is starting to get a little worried at Beca's vacant stare and lack of a response. _Oh no, what if she's freaked out? And now she realizes she's sharing a bed with someone who possibly (definitely) has a sexual interest in her. She's probably figuring out how to politely find another place to sleep. Maybe even leave altogether!_

"Beca?" Chloe asks tentatively. "A-are you okay?" She sees Beca's eyes slowly drift to hers, come back into focus and register her voice.

"Did I― I haven't freaked you out, have I?" Chloe says, nervously biting her lip.

"What?! NO!" She exclaims in a much higher pitched voice than anticipated. Chloe doesn't buy the reassurance and starts to pull her hand away from Beca's. Beca immediately captures it.

"No Chloe! God, no, not freaked. I'm sorry. I don't know why my voice went that high. I didn't even know it could go that high." She says in a hurry, making Chloe giggle slightly at her last comment.

"I guess I'm just surprised, cause like, the first time we ever met you had kinda been previously occupied with someone, and then that someone was also kind of shoving his tongue down your throat at Hood Night. So I guess I just assumed, which, when I think about it, is now a really stupid and close minded thing of me to have done. I mean you never said anything, but you know what they about people who assume… You're just a big asshole. And I really shouldn't have―"

"Woah Becs!" Chloe cuts off the rambling DJ, clutching her hands around the petite girl's own. "Hey it's cool, I'm not offended. Yeah I never said anything, just because, I don't know... Since I came out as bi back in high school and just embraced who I was, I never really thought I needed to define my sexuality outright to anyone. I was just being me and figured people would see that." Chloe explained to the younger girl.

"But," she continues, "I can see how certain situations may lead one to certain conclusions. And you're asking now, in your own adorably awkward way, and so I'm confirming for you. So… um, are we, like are we okay? Still?"

"Of course we're okay, Beale." Beca says with conviction, staring directly into baby blue eyes. "You're my best friend, and your sexuality doesn't matter to me. Who you are as a person is amazing and you should never stop being you for anybody."

Chloe is simply staring at Beca with glossy eyes, her bottom lip being firmly held between her teeth so as to not allow the trembling to burst free.

"I'm your best friend?" Chloe asks with a quiet reverie. She's never heard the brunette call her that before and she's quickly becoming far too emotionally stimulated at the revelation.

Realizing the words she said, Beca suddenly becomes very shy, hesitating to meet Chloe's eyes.

"Um yeah well, I don't see how I had much of a choice ya know. Shower duets, midnight coffee runs and half the other shit we've done kinda forced it upon us, wouldn't you say?" The tiny DJ responds with a small shrug.

Chloe knows how much Beca doesn't like to deal with sappy emotions, and Chloe is one more sweet compliment away from completely gushing. Instead, she settles for calmly reaching over to Beca for a hug so as to not frighten to girl away.

"Thanks Becs." Chloe whispers into her ear, arms wrapped around her tightly. "You know you're my best friend too. And I'm really glad you're here. I know it's only day 1, but the holiday already feels way more special with you here." Chloe's cheek is pressed against Beca's as she speaks softly.

Not knowing how to respond, Beca simply holds on to the hug for a few seconds longer before releasing the other girl. They remain but mere inches apart from one another, smiling softly and gazing in each other's eyes. The moment feels a little too intense for the petite girl, so she clears her throat and says the first thing that comes to mind to try and ease the tension a little.

"So I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Smiling and pleasantries really wear a girl out." Beca says with a chuckle and a short yawn. "Plus, some of us aren't gifted with your looks and need massive amounts of beauty sleep."

"Oh please, Becs. You wouldn't need beauty sleep if someone smacked you with an ugly stick. But you're right," Chloe says turning over to click the bedside lamp off. "We should probably call it a night since we have to be up at 6am tomorrow."

"WHAT?! 6am, why!" Beca abruptly yells out loud before remembering the rest of the house is likely fast asleep. "Sorry," she says, lowering her voice. "What reason on this planet would make me get up at 6am tomorrow morning? This is supposed to be vacation, Beale, which equates to days of sleeping in late. So late, that I should lose track of the days altogether!"

The room is dark, but even with the curtains drawn, slivers of moonlight still peek their way into the room, giving it some illumination. Chloe, laid back on the bed and turned on her side to face towards Beca, can just make out the outline of the girl's face and the now irritated features that line it.

"We're picking out the tree tomorrow Beca. It's a Beale family tradition, and seeing as you are now an honorary member of the Beale family, it is your obligation to participate." She reaches over and pokes the now scowling brunette under the covers, making her yelp in surprise. "Plus, mom makes killer pancakes and you wouldn't want to miss those by being all stubborn and grouchy and not getting out of bed. Believe me when I tell you, if you're not down there to eat, my brothers will claim every last bite of food. You have to ask yourself, which can you deal with more, a little sleep deprivation, or extreme food deprivation?"

Though she knows Chloe can't fully see the intense glare she's giving her, it remains on her face nonetheless as she contemplates the redhead's words.

"Fine. You are tasked with getting me out of bed in the morning, but I make no promises." Beca breathes out heavily, laying on her back to fall asleep.

"Challenge accepted. See you in the morning Becs." She says, leaning over to quickly kiss the brunette on the cheek before situating herself back on her side of the bed. "Goodnight."

Completely caught by surprise by the kiss, Beca lays as stiff as a board, barely breathing and trying to not burst into flames at the contact of Chloe's lips on her skin. Many minutes later when she's finally regained all functions in her brain and body, Beca rolls her head to the right to respond. She is, however, met with the sight of a slumbering redhead, soft snores coming from the woman. She smiles lightly and tucks a stray strand of hair behind the Bella's ear.

"Goodnight Chlo." She whispers into the quiet room before drifting off into her own peaceful dreamland.


	6. Chapter 6: Undisclosed Desires

A/N: Hey guys, I am sooooo sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. It's been in progress for months, but work has gotten crazy and I've only been able to work on it a little at a time. But I promise, I will not abandon this fic, so do not fear. I've got a good chunk of the next chapter written, so hopefully it doesn't take me like another year to post a new chapter! (That was supposed to be a comforting joke, but I realize with my posting track record, I can see your cause for concern...) Major thanks to all who have favorited, followed and/or posted reviews for the story. Especially those who keep checking in and wanting more. They give me a little push each time to get back to writing and finish up the next chapter for you guys. So again, thanks! I hope I'm still doing y'all justice with the story and you guys continue to enjoy it. Now, onto what you're really here for...

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Undisclosed Desires**

Beca stirs, rolling over onto her side facing the middle of the bed. When her arm shifts under the covers and doesn't make contact with a body, her mind slowly begins to awaken more. Craning her neck towards the alarm clock situated on her nightstand, she squints her eyes to make out 3:14 shining in red.

 _Huh, could've sworn it was later than that. I feel like I've been sleeping for half a day._

Beca turns her head back towards the unoccupied space next to her. _I wonder where Chloe is._ She thinks to herself, still in a moderately sleep-induced haze. Having zoned out and continuing her aimless staring at the sheets, Beca neglects to hear the bathroom door open and close before she's suddenly met with the form of Chloe Beale standing at the edge of the bed.

"Chloe! Geez, you startled me." She says, holding her hand to her chest. "Didn't realize you were in the bathroom."

There isn't much light coming into the room, just a soft glow from the moonlight peeking through the cracks in the curtains, but Beca can make out enough of Chloe's body in the darkness. The redhead doesn't say anything, but rather begins a slow, _and very sexy_ , Beca thinks, descent onto the bed, almost crawling her way over towards the brunette. Beca can now see that the redhead is dressed in a thin, silver-colored, silky looking night slip, the strap on her right shoulder drooping down to leave the area of her collarbone completely bare.

 _Did she go to bed like that? I definitely would've remembered that outfit. Or at least remembered the anxiety caused from laying next to her in that outfit._

Beca's eyes refocus to find Chloe, now hovering over her own body, her face mere inches from the brunette's.

"C-Chloe? What are you—" Beca is silenced by a slender finger touching her lips, the tip dragging slowly downward until it flicks her bottom lip softly before falling away.

"Becs…" Chloe breathes out, the sound echoing and surrounding Beca in the quiet room. Chloe slides a stray strand of chocolate brown hair behind Beca's ear before gazing directly into dark blue eyes.

"Seeing you each day, hearing your voice, wanting to touch you every second of every day… I just can't contain myself anymore." Beca's eyes bore into baby blues, flicking between them rapidly as Chloe leans in closer. "I'm tired of wanting you so badly and not doing anything about it." Chloe husks into her ear.

Before Beca's brain could even begin to formulate any kind of response, she was feeling a pair of very soft lips pressing against her own. Allowing the redhead to push her body back down onto the mattress, Beca lets out a moan that seems to reverberate across the room as Chloe parts her lips, sliding her tongue into the brunette's mouth. Beca can feel Chloe move her body flush on top of her own, and she reaches her hands up to grasp slender hips to steady the warm body above her.

"God Chloe, you taste so good." Beca breathes out, feeling the redhead detach her lips and move them slowly across her jaw, then downward to her neck. "I've wanted this for so long, Chlo. Wanted you. Mmmmmhh…" She feels Chloe sucking hard onto a sensitive spot on her neck before raising her head back to plump and eager lips.

"I've wanted you too Beca." She says against the DJ's lips before grinding her hips into the brunette's. "So badly."

"F-fuck Chloe."

"And right now I just want― I _need_ you to touch me." Chloe whispers seductively. Beca can feel the growl release from her throat as she grips Chloe's hips tighter, flipping them over on the bed in one fluid motion before re-attaching their lips together in a more heated kiss. Beca moves her left hand up and across the silky fabric over Chloe's rib cage to just below her breast as she slowly grinds her core into Chloe's beneath her. She can hear a heavy intake of breath as she curves her hand up and over Chloe's breast, feeling the nipple harden through the thin material.

"Ohhh Beca, mmmhh." She hears Chloe moan as she squeezes soft flesh and drags her warm tongue up the redhead's neck. Suddenly feeling legs wrap tightly around her waist, Beca feels Chloe flipping them back over so she is on top as they continue their ministrations. The DJ trails steady hands up the Bella's thighs, her hips, slowly, until they land on her ass, pulling their bodies closer together as Beca reattaches their lips.

Chloe leans back, placing her hands firmly on the brunette's shoulders before straddling the DJ's legs and pressing herself down onto Beca.

"Oh my― fuck, Chlo. Shit." Beca pants out in laboured breaths, fully enjoying the pleasure being caused by the gorgeous woman above her. Beca raises Chloe's slip up her thighs, letting the woman's panty-clad pussy press against her as Chloe continues to slowly ride Beca, moaning loudly with every bit of friction gained.

Beca can tell she is soaked. She can feel their bodies moving in quick fluid motions against each other, gradually building up the feeling in her lower region, rising towards the edge and begging her for some release. She's aware they're both still clothed and wishes to rid them of their restrictions and feel skin against skin, but Beca is so lost in pleasure and not wanting to stop out of fear of losing whatever is happening between her and Chloe, that she can't bring herself to care enough to do anything except lift her hips up to meet the other woman's downward thrusts.

She can tell Chloe is getting close, probably as close as she is right now. Beca can feel it in the frantic but rhythmic motion of her hips, the tight clenching of fingers on her shoulders. Chloe leans back in, dropping her sweaty forehead into the crook of Beca's neck, heated breath brushing against her skin. The redhead adjusts her lower body from their previous position, now bringing her legs in between Beca's as the brunette hastily wraps her own legs around the redhead's waist, as they continue to roughly move into one another.

"Beca." The brunette vaguely hears her name echo in the quiet room as she becomes more lost in the woman above her.

"God Chloe, yes! Don't stop, fuck don't stop. I'm so close." Beca moans out.

"Becs," she looks up at the redhead's face, taking in her furrowed brow and open panting lips.

"Beca." She hears Chloe say clearly and louder than before, but notices the woman's lips not moving. _Huh, that's weird._ Beca thinks briefly before leaning back in to reconnect lips. "Beca wake up." The petite girl feels the words circle around the room, a sense of playful irritation surrounding her body, but she chooses to ignore it. Instead, Beca slides her tongue back in Chloe's mouth, dueling with the other woman's whilst running her hands over every square inch of the redhead's body before settling back on her ass and grinding them more firmly together.

"Chloeee, mmmhh." Beca groans out, knowing she's right at the edge of release, just a couple more thrusts and she'll feel those waves of pleasure she so desperately needs.

"BECA!"

"S-shit Chlo, I'm gonna- I'm gonna cum, don't stop!" She cries out, her voice thick with desperation and desire. Just another thrust and she'll be right―

"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK!?" Beca yells in surprise as she shoots up in bed, having been doused in cold water, before falling off the side of the bed.

Laying in a heap of blankets, the now soaked brunette looks up through matted wet hair to see a grinning redhead peeking her head over the edge of the bed.

"About time sleepyhead!" The older Bella says, much too chipper for this early in the morning, and much too chipper for the surly mood the brunette now finds herself in. "Geez Becs, you really sleep like the dead. I have been poking you to wake up for the last 10 minutes."

"You couldn't have, oh I don't know, maybe tried shaking me awake Beale?!" Beca almost growls in irritation as she starts to untangle her limbs from the sheets and stand up.

"I did!" Chloe says in defense, the smile not leaving her face as she watches the other girl, who looks like a sad wet puppy, make her way to her suitcase for a change of clothes for the day. "You started groaning in your sleep and mumbling my name, but didn't actually wake up." Beca, who tries to maintain the scowl on her face, keeps her head down in her bag to hide her now furiously rising blush as she recalls her wet dream. "So, I went to plan B." Chloe punctuates, motioning to the large empty yellow cup lying on the bed near Beca's now vacated spot.

Beca grumbles as she digs through her bag, speaking up more loudly after grabbing the shirt she was looking for. "Plan B, great. Well I don't know about you Chlo, but I don't typically enjoy being woken up soaking wet in the morning."

"That's a shame Becs. Maybe you haven't been spending time with the right people in the morning." Chloe winks sinfully. "Besides, I can think of worse ways to wake up."

Feeling too sleep deprived at the moment, the only response Beca can muster is a deep huff of exasperation. The brunette remains quiet, avoiding the older Bella's gaze as she pulls out the last item of clothing she needs and makes her way over towards the ensuite. Just as she's opening the door, Beca hears Chloe speak up.

"Alright grumpy bear, I'm sorry for soaking you with water." Beca turns her body to give the redhead her attention, raising her eyebrows to motion for the woman to continue what she has to say. "BUT in my defense, you were the one to task me with getting you up. And look, you are awake and functioning," Beca glares at the woman as she continues, "to an extent. But I promise, next time I will just push you off the bed without any use of water."

"If it's not too much to ask." Beca adds sarcastically.

"Yeah yeah. Go clean up and I'll be sure to have a hot cup of coffee as black as your soul waiting for you when you come down. Okay?" Chloe teases.

"You better." Beca smirks slightly before turning to head into the bathroom. She can hear Chloe bound down the hallway as she removes her dampened pajamas and turns the tap on. Setting it to freezing cold, Beca hops in and tries to cool down after being cruelly pulled from her most recent dream.

 _I don't even want to think about what might've happened had I managed to finish that dream. God that would've been so embarrassing!_

After a few minutes of letting the cool water wash over her body, Beca finishes up her shower and gets herself ready. Once her makeup is done and her hair dry, she throws on a pair of thermal leggings under her dark blue jeans, a dark red long sleeved shirt and grabs her winter coat off the chair by Chloe's desk and makes her way downstairs.

As soon as Beca's foot hits the bottom step, her senses are immediately assaulted with smells of butter and maple and warmth as she makes her way through the living room towards the kitchen. Stopping just short of entering, Beca hangs back to watch the interactions of those already up and moving about the space. She spots Sara setting up Cooper in his highchair whilst Charlie reads a section of the paper. Conner is sitting next to them, or rather, napping next to them, his head laid atop folded arms, headphones snug in his ears and hooked into the phone lying next to his arm. She would swear to hearing snoring from her current position. Smirking to herself, she looks to her right to gaze upon the stunning figure of Chloe, standing next to her mother at the stove, wearing an adorable white and blue striped apron whilst flipping over some pancakes. Beca doesn't think she's ever seen a more beautiful sight as the overhead light bathes her in a soft glow, the woman's head tilting backward as she lets out a melodious laugh in response to a comment made by her mother.

Beca stands blissfully content in her bubble outside the kitchen, just observing the woman who in such a short amount of time, has completely captured her heart. Unaware of the figure approaching her from behind, Beca continues to stare at the scene with a dopey smile lining her face.

Caleb has made his way slowly downstairs, rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes, being careful not to tumble down the last few steps as he releases a stifling yawn. As he rounds the corner, set to enter the kitchen and begin stuffing in his face with pancakes and bacon, he stops abruptly when he sees Beca standing near the kitchen entrance, but just out of sight of those within it. He quietly moves closer to the brunette girl, now noticing the direction in which her gaze is transfixed— one which happens to be solely focused on his little sister. _Well what do we have here?_ Grinning, Caleb gets right up behind the unsuspecting Bella, slightly surprised she hasn't felt his presence yet. He leans in lower to get closer to her level and speaks casually in her ear.

"Morrrning." Caleb drags out in a humorous fashion.

"Holy damn hell!" Beca screams out in surprise, clutching her hand to her chest, breathing in and out frantically to catch her breath. The collection of bodies in the kitchen turn their attention to the commotion at the archway, and Beca would swear her face could melt off from the embarrassment she was feeling. "I just uh, he um, startled me. Is all. Sorry."

"Hey you." Chloe walks over to the reddened girl and wraps her up in a quick but comforting hug. "If he starts annoying you at all, I find a good smack to the back of his head remedies the situation just fine." She whispers conspiratorially in her ear.

"Now come on and help me with these plates. Pancakes are almost up." Chloe smiles brightly, handing Beca her promised cup of coffee before she turns back toward the cabinets holding the dishes to pull them out.

As Beca goes about setting the table whilst Dianna finishes cooking up the remaining batter, Chloe sets down glasses around each place setting.

"Where's pop at?" Caleb asks his mother while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"He's finishing up getting the supplies ready in the garage, should be in any minute." As if on cue, Jim walks into the kitchen from the mud room.

"Good morning my children!" He says in a comically loud way. "And my beautiful wife." He says in a much softer tone before leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "You guys ready for a little manual labor this morning?" Jim asks, being met with collective groans from Conner, Caleb and Beca.

Chloe, the eternally optimistic person that she is, merely shrugs off their unenthusiastic displays with her own excited response. "Absolutely daddy, I can't wait to get out there!"

"That's my girl." He smiles, kissing the top of his daughter's head before sitting down and grabbing the section of the paper that Charlie offers him. "Conner, look sharp." He says, playfully whacking his youngest son on the head with his newspaper. The boy starts, shooting up in his seat and looking a little disoriented. The rest of the family laughs as Dianna begins to bring plates of food over to the large table, Chloe assisting her.

As soon as all the food had been set on the table, chaos breaks out. The Beale boys immediately start piling food onto their plates as quickly as possible, Caleb managing to shove food into his mouth at the same time. The rest of the table sits back unfazed, while Beca stares at the sight, a little alarmed.

Leaning towards the redhead next to her, she whispers, "Damn Chlo, you weren't kidding. I wanna get in there, but I'm afraid to lose a hand."

Just as she says that, the men finish up their onslaught and retreat to their plates to chow down their food.

"So good mom, really. Top notch pancakes!" Caleb says through a mouthful of food.

"Yeah mom, I haven't had pancakes this good in a long time." Charlie compliments.

"Hey!" Sara smacks his arm playfully. "I just made some the other week."

"I uh, yeah... right, honey. Like I said. I mean two weeks _is_ a long time!" He says with a sheepish grin. "I love you?"

"You just eat your breakfast Charlie Beale. And the next time you want pancakes, you can make them yourself." Sara chides before scooping some eggs onto her plate for Cooper. The table laughs at the couple's antics before finishing loading up their own plates with food.

The rest of breakfast goes smoothly, the group making pleasant small talk as they finish up. Chloe notices Beca eyeing up the last piece of bacon on the table. As the brunette goes to reach for it, she's beaten by two large hands battling it out, each belonging to Caleb and Jim.

"Dad, you live with the woman who made it. You can have this bacon any time!"

"Sorry son, you snooze you lose."

"Come on, my youth and metabolism clearly need this more than you!" Caleb protests.

Just as Jim was about to counter respond, Chloe dives in and snatches up the last piece from the plate while the two men were distracted.

"What the—"

"Chloe Elizabeth Beale!" Jim exclaims with a disbelieving smile as he watches his daughter place the piece of bacon on Beca's empty plate.

"What? You snooze you lose, dad." She laughs, sticking her tongue out towards her brother.

"You are so lucky you're across the table and I'm so full I can't move a muscle, otherwise you'd find yourself in a headlock right now missy!" Caleb lamely threatens, and hand resting on his full stomach.

"Bring it, big bro." Chloe counters, smiling.

"Well you best get your butt moving soon bud, we got work to do and a lot of walking ahead of us. You kids get cleaned up and we'll head out in 10." Jim says, getting up from the table. He leans over to kiss his wife's cheek and thank her for breakfast before heading off to grab his coat and boots.

Beca simply watches the whole exchange, still a little surprised of Chloe's actions. Turning her head towards the aforementioned redhead, she finds the woman smirking into her cup of coffee.

"I fought valiantly for that bacon miss Mitchell, I hope you take advantage and eat it before Caleb finds the energy to come take it back." She nods towards the item on the plate before winking.

"Valiantly fought for? Is that right?" Beca questions humorously.

"Mmhmm." Chloe grins.

"Pretty sure you just swooped in and stole it. Deception and thievery sounds more accurate."

"I like to think of it as strategic and opportunistic. Not to mention oh so sweet of your best friend to snag you the last piece of bacon that you were so obviously eyeing up."

"I. Was. So… Doing that. Yep." She picks up the piece of bacon and takes a bite. "Mmmm. So worth it, yep, thank you. You're the best." Beca says, eyes closed, enjoying her glorious gift.

"Sheesh Becs, you want me to leave you two alone, or maybe get you a room?" Chloe teases the younger woman.

"Not necessary." She flicks the last bite into her mouth, giving the redhead a closed mouth smile. "Alright, let's get this over with." The brunette says, standing up from the table before moving to grab her coat off a chair in the living room.

"It's just a walk through the snow Beca, and pretty soon we'll have the perfect tree for Christmas. It won't be as bad as you think."

* * *

It felt as bad as she thought.

After breakfast the group, consisting of Jim, Chloe, Beca, Conner and Caleb, headed out through the backyard and made their way towards a small forest about three quarters of a mile off the right of the property past the small lake in the back. The men would occasionally swap dragging the large sled that they will use to later drag back the tree on.

After finally getting to the edge of the forest, Chloe had spent the next 30 minutes walking up and down looking at trees and examining the most minute of details about them. After circling the tree, she would frown and shake her head towards her father and brothers and set off further down the line.

Beca was new to this whole process, but after being woken up in a most unpleasant fashion, at an ungodly hour of the morning, then traipsing around for what felt like miles in the cold and snow, she was starting to get a little testy and more than a little grumpy and tired having not found anything yet. She already has to suffer through hours of Aubrey's cardio hell at school. She did not sign up for hiking on her vacation.

20 more minutes of walking later, the group comes upon a long row of well-sized spruce trees, each heavily dusted in fallen snow. Chloe rushes ahead, inspecting each tree as Jim and Caleb follow behind with their axes and Conner drags the sled along. Beca brings up the rear, watching Chloe excitedly run her mittened hands through branches, scrutinizing each nook and cranny the tree could possibly have. As she catches up to the stopped group, Beca feels a strong tingling sensation in her nose. It builds up until her whole body thrusts forward involuntarily.

"AH-CHOO!"

"Bless you, Beca" Chloe says sweetly, glancing back at the girl.

"Geez, big sneeze for a tiny girl." Caleb jokes. Beca glares at him before letting out another impromptu sneeze.

"Becs, you okay? You're not allergic to Christmas trees, are you?" Chloe asks.

"What? No, don't be crazy. I'm just allergic to fresh air and sunshine. Much of which my body is absorbing, when it could be burrowed into a warm bed right now. Instead, I'm trucking through over two feet of snow in search of 'the perfect tree,'" she uses air quotes to emphasize, "all because some annoying redhead wouldn't quit poking me this morning." Beca looks over towards the girl in question, squinting irritatedly at her.

"Oh please, miss grumpy pants. That wasn't the first time I've woken you up at the crack of dawn, and it certainly won't be the last." Chloe adds in a quick wink for good measure, hoping to rile up the scowling girl.

Whether she thought Chloe meant it or not, Beca certainly heard a hidden meaning in that statement, one that caused her already rosy cheeks to deepen its shade and a couple choked coughs to erupt from her throat. Beca's sputtering at the comment causes a sly grin to creep onto the redhead's face as she turns back to the task at hand. Circling the tree in front of her, Chloe carefully runs her hands through some of the branches and moves her face inward to breathe in the smell. Squatting low to see the base of the tree, she nods resolutely before standing back up to face the others. Her father and brothers, used to her crazy antics, simply look at her expectantly.

"So?" her father asks.

Beca turns her head toward Chloe, sighing heavily and waiting for whatever response to come from the girl. What she wasn't expecting was the smile that lit up the redhead's face, one Beca would have sworn could make a blind man gasp at it's beauty. She watches Chloe's bright blue eyes bounce from each person's face before finally settling on Beca's own and confidently saying, "This is the one."

* * *

After a solid 15 minutes of the men chopping away at the tree, occasionally stopping to bicker at the other for the slowness at which they were working, all whilst the two girls laughed ("You know, you two could help!" "What, and embarrass you guys with our axing prowess? I don't think you could handle the humiliation, right Becs?" "Oh yeah."), they finally managed to cut down their perfect tree.

As Jim and Caleb worked on securing the tree onto the sled, Beca and Chloe stood off to the side, observing the beautifully calm winter morning at the forest's edge. Once they finally found the tree, Beca's grumpiness had started dissipating. As tired as she had been, one look at the beaming redhead— seeing the energy practically radiate off her bouncing body— and Beca couldn't help but feel her own spirits lift.

Beca felt Chloe grab her left arm and tug her closer to the older Bella's own body for warmth, feeling the redhead gently place her head atop her shoulder. As they stood there silently gazing out towards the picturesque surroundings of the snow covered grounds and frozen over pond, Beca felt completely at ease as the winter chill hit her face.

A brief moment passes before Beca feels Chloe squeeze her arm gently and nuzzle into her neck a little more before speaking.

"Thank you for putting up with me this morning. It's just, ever since I was little, it's kind of been our family tradition for us all to go out and find that perfect tree―well, me pick out the perfect tree―chop it down and bring it back to decorate. And I know you didn't have the bestest of wake-ups this morning and I know how you feel about exercise and I just—" Beca cuts her off.

"Chlo." The brunette angles her head to the left to face the rambling redhead better, their noses centimeters from touching, breaths mingling in the air. "Putting my hatred for all things exerting aside…" she smirks before softening her mouth into a small smile. "I can tell how much this tradition means to you. I'm honored you'd share something so special with me." Beca squeezes the other woman's arm to let her know how much she means it.

"I'm really glad I could share it with you Becs. There's no one else that I'd rather have here." Chloe eyes glisten with unshed tears of happiness and adoration.

In a moment of pure and overwhelming boldness, Chloe leans in slowly and places a lingering kiss on Beca's cheek, mere millimeters from the edge of the DJ's mouth. Chloe hums softly before burrowing her head back into the brunette's neck for warmth.

At this action, Beca's head is swimming, her cheek burning intensely at the spot Chloe lips just left. Beca had held her breath when she noticed Chloe leaning in towards her, unsure of what exactly the redhead would do. It was such an intimate moment being shared between the two women that Beca honestly thought Chloe would kiss her right there. She was not completely wrong, and even just a simple kiss on her cheek left the petite woman feeling breathless. Fearing if she doesn't breathe soon she'll pass out on the spot, Beca exhales slowly to regain control of her emotions and her heart rate. The two Bellas stand snuggled together for another moment before they hear Chloe's dad yell out.

"Alright you kids, tree is all strapped down." Jim calls over to the girls. "Let's head back!"

The thirty minute walk back to the house went completely unnoticed by Beca. She essentially moved on autopilot after the kiss on the cheek Chloe gave her. It wasn't until she felt something tugging at her hand when she stopped and regained focus on her surroundings. Beca briefly acknowledged Caleb and Jim dusting off the tree before taking it around to the garage to clean it up a bit to take it inside. Her own eyes caught the sparkling blue of Chloe's as she looked back towards the figure next to her.

"You okay Becs? You were kinda quiet on the trek back." Chloe asks a little hesitantly, wondering if she had been a bit too bold earlier when placing a spontaneous kiss to the smaller girl's cheek in such an intimate setting.

"Yeah, no I'm good. Just uh, tired I guess. Early morning, long walk. Lots of exertion for an inherently lazy person like myself." She grins coyly, trying to exude some semblance of confidence whilst suppressing her nerves.

"Well lucky for you the rest of the day is completely void of further exertion. The guys are gonna clean and set up the tree inside and as soon as that's all set, we'll decorate it then just chill for the rest of the day if you want."

"Sounds like a very solid plan of action. Lead the way milady." Beca gestures her arm in a sweeping motion towards the back door. Chloe just rolls her eyes and giggles before taking the lead into the house.

After changing out of their heavy coats and boots, Beca and Chloe rejoin the Beale clan in the living room. Jim and Caleb managed to get the tree situated in it's base, and Dianna and Conner were carrying boxes of decorations over toward the fireplace for easier access whilst Sara was setting the last of some mugs of cocoa on the coffee table.

Beca stepped over towards the fireplace where Dianna was pulling several stockings out of a box to hang over the mantle.

"Do you need any help Mrs. Beale?" Beca hesitantly asks, still nervous around Chloe's parents.

"What have I told you Beca? Dianna, please. And I would love your help. Just grab those mantle hooks from the box there and we'll set those up first."

Beca pulls out a handful of heavy-ish silver stocking hooks to hang off the edge of the fireplace mantle. Each was a different design: a reindeer, snowflake, snowman, etc. Both women went about setting the hooks up, evenly spacing them out along the long mantle.

"Wow, are these all gonna fit?" Beca asks curiously, as she grabs a couple stockings to hang up.

"Don't you worry, dear. They will fit just fine up there, though it may get a bit tight."

"These stockings look really old." Beca comments as she reaches into the box, backtracking quickly when she realizes how that may have sounded. "I'm sorry, no, not old like used and gross and you should get new ones! Just like, they look like they're special and have been in the family for a while. Sorry."

Dianna laughs softly, finding the shy girl's frantic and unnecessary apology to be quite sweet.

"I know what you mean dear. And yes, we've had all of these in the family since the kids were each born." Dianna grazes her fingers over each stocking as it's hung up, relaying the story of acquiring each one.

"Jim and I got ours our first Christmas together, both red stockings with our first initials on them." She says pointing to the 'D' and 'J' stockings bookending the rest. "Charlie's is the brown dog with a Santa hat on it. We amazingly found one that's a white cat wearing a hat two years after Charlie and Sara got married, so we swapped that out for her to kind of match." She says with a smile.

"They are pretty cute matching like that."

"Thank you sweetie. Cooper has the smaller stocking hanging between those two, as you can see." She says pointing to the slightly smaller red stocking with a train on it. "Caleb has the polar bear wearing ice skates on his, Conner is the gingerbread man, and Chloe's is the—"

"The snowflake?" Beca interrupts knowingly, looking at the cream colored stocking with a simple white snowflake with a thin blue border around its edging.

"Of course." Dianna smiles.

"They're all very beautiful and even more special knowing the thought that went into picking them and keeping them all these years. We didn't have any special stockings when I was growing up, just plain and simple boring ones." Beca says with a small hint of sadness underneath her words, thinking that while she loved the christmases she spent with her parents growing up, they could never compare to what she was experiencing with the Beales. It was completely different, more invested. They seemed to embrace every little thing the Christmas holiday had to offer.

"Well then perhaps you won't think me too bold in getting you this?" Dianna asks, pulling a stocking out from a separate bag and handing it to the petite girl.

Beca takes the item from the older woman to look at it and gasps. She sees in her hands a soft, cream-colored yarn stocking with a simple black musical note and a red bow stitched on it.

"You got this for me?" Beca asks, still very surprised and shocked at the thoughtful gesture.

"Chloe mentioned you love music, and I happened to come across this and thought it'd fit you very well."

"It's perfect. I love it, but you didn't have to do this Dianna."

"Nonsense. Of course I did. You're now apart of this family young lady. So it's too late for you to rethink coming here and trying to escape." She jokes. Beca leans in to hug her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome sweetie. Besides, we've placed booby traps around the house, you'd never make it out alive." She says with a wink after releasing the hug. Beca releases a hearty laugh at that before the red headed woman takes the stocking from her hands.

"What do you say we hang this right over here." Dianna says while placing the object on its hook to hang right next to Chloe's snowflake stocking.

"I think it looks perfect right there." Beca smiles, something she realizes she's been doing a lot the past day and a half here.

"I think so too." The Beale matriarch says, looking at the brunette girl before her eyes shift to her daughter standing over by the tree decorating. "I think so too."

The family spent the next thirty minutes sipping hot chocolate and chatting merrily whilst pulling the remaining lights, ornaments and ribbon out of the boxes and hanging them up on the tree and around the room. When the last ornament was hung, Beca watched Caleb walk over towards Chloe, grinning.

"Alright Chloe bear, you ready?" He says, squatting low.

"Always." Chloe climbs on his back and wraps her legs securely around his shoulders as the man lifts his sister up in the air. As he walks them over closer towards the 12-foot tree, he jokingly stumbles a little causing the redhead to squeak out a small scream before she whacks him on the top of the head.

"Don't be a jerk, jerk." She laughs. "I fall, I will take you with me!"

"I don't doubt that. Alright, here ya go." Beca watches as he hands his sister the tree topper angel and inches even closer to the tree. Chloe then gently slides the antique looking angel on, making sure it's secure before motioning him back.

"That looks perfect sweetie." Dianna says happily as Caleb sets Chloe back on the ground. Beca smiles softly at the beaming grin on the redhead's face.

"Yep, very well done guys. The tree looks great. Perfect choice hunny." Jim kisses the top of his daughter's head proudly.

"Thanks daddy. What do you think Becs?" She turns to the petite girl standing not far behind her.

"Beautiful." Beca says, looking directly into Chloe's eyes, not looking at the tree at all.


	7. Chapter 7: Baby It's Cold Outside

**A/N: It has been way too long since I've updated, I know, I know! I fully blame it on my exhaustive work schedule that has given me zero time to write. But I've got this story back in progress, so hopefully you guys aren't too mad at me. I hope y'all enjoy the next installment.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Baby It's Cold Outside**

The tree decorating was finished by the late morning, so Dianna had popped into the kitchen to whip up some lunch for the family. Sara offered her help, and the older redhead dragged her reluctant youngest son in to help as well.

Twenty minutes later and the family was seated around the table enjoying some hot soup and sandwiches.

"So what are you kids going to get up to today?" Jim asks the table.

"Get up to? Man pop, I'm so tired from this morning, I feel like I could sleep for a whole day." Caleb says through a large yawn, heightening his point.

"I see your day bro, and raise you a week." Conner challenges.

"Man after my own heart." Beca laughs at the younger boy's penchant for sleep, something they have in common. While engaged in the current conversation, Beca completely misses the slight scowl on the redhead's face at the brunette's comment.

"So you kids are just going to sleep your vacation away?" Jim asks, though not entirely surprised by his youngest son's desire to do so.

"Well we thought we'd take Cooper outside and build a snowman after lunch, if anyone else is interested." Sara chimes in from her seat.

"Ooh, that sounds like so much fun!" Chloe jumps in, excitedly. "Becs?"

"What? No, ohhh nooooo." The petite girl says, waving her hands at the idea. "What about the rest of the day being completely void of further exertion?! Those were your exact words Beale!" Beca defends.

"But it'll be so much fun!" Beca drops her head into her crossed arms laying on the table.

"Uhhhhng. But it's so cold out." She whines, her response muffled due to her position. "Plus aren't we supposed to wait like an hour or whatever after we eat?" She says, lifting her head back up.

"That's for swimming doof. Come on Becs, pleeeease?" She drags out, pushing out her bottom lip to pout. The younger Bella sighs heavily.

"Well how can I say no to that face?" Beca resigns. Chloe squeals in excitement and throws her arms around the brunette's shoulders for a hug.

"You can't. You really can't."

"WHIPPED." Caleb coughs the word loudly into his fist.

Beca shoots a playful glare towards the older man, but not before her cheeks turn a burning scarlet.

* * *

After lunch, the group makes their way outside and towards an empty space near the back porch. Dianna and Jim decide to sit out from the activity and take up shop in a pair of rocking chairs on the back deck that look out towards everyone. Charlie and Sara place Cooper on the ground and he immediately begins to fall into the snow, giggling. Sara keeps him occupied while Charlie gets to work piling up a base for their snowman. Meanwhile, Caleb and Conner set to work on some sort of snow wall, though Beca has no idea what purpose that will serve.

She watches the two guys work for a minute before hearing the redhead next to her speak up.

"So Becs, you wanna partner up and build a snowman with me?"

"Do I really have a choice?" She jokes.

"Nope!" Chloe grins.

"Didn't think so." Beca smirks knowingly. "Alright then, let's do it."

The girls spend the next 30 minutes packing snow and rolling three sections into large sized spherical shapes to stack on one another, squaring out the base slightly for stability. Once they got the body put together, Chloe grabbed some essentials from the box her mom brought out earlier, bringing over some coal for the eyes and mouth and a carrot for the nose. Chloe squints her eyes and sticks her tongue out slightly as she places the coal on the top ball to form the face, whilst Beca watches on with a grin. She always loves the adorable face Chloe makes when she's concentrating on a task.

The older Bella heads over to grab a couple final pieces of material for their decorating from a separate bag she brought outside with her. She notices Beca's attention has diverted to watching her siblings building their own snowmen, so she quickly places the two objects around the midsection and over the front chest of their creation, wanting to surprise the younger girl with her design idea. With her body blocking most of the snowman, Chloe straightens out the piece of clothing as she hears Beca speak.

"It's looking really great, Chloe."

Chloe finishes placing a gold newsboy hat on the top of the snowman and turns her head towards the brunette and gives her a wide smile, knowing the other girl can pretty much only see the head from her position behind the redhead.

"Thanks Beca. It just needs one last detail, annnnd..." she says before whipping something from her jacket pocket to wrap around the snowman's neck. "voila!"

Both girls step back a few feet to survey their finished snowman. "Are you kidding me Chlo?"

"What?" Chloe respond innocently.

"It's a freaking Bella snowman!" Beca exclaims with a laugh, seeing the object in front of her wearing what looks like a dark blue skirt and vest combo, with a gold and blue scarf wrapped snugly around it's neck.

"Snow woman." She corrects. Beca quirks an eyebrow.

"Snow _woman_ , really? Can she also sing Mariah Carey chart-toppers?" Beca jokes, remembering the first conversation she had with Aubrey at the activities fair.

"Maybe, if you ask her real nicely." Chloe snarks back with a grin.

"You've been planning this snowman outfit for weeks haven't you?" Beca questions slyly.

"I will neither confirm nor deny that accusation." The redhead sticks her tongue out playfully.

"Whatever weirdo. Well I think we did a pretty good job, but it's still missing something. Hold on a sec." Beca says before rushing back into the house. A few minutes later she returns, a little out of breath. Beca walks up to the snow Bella and places an object on it's face. "There." She says, stepping back proudly to reveal to Chloe her new addition.

"Now she's a badass." Chloe laughs at the sunglasses that now sit on the snow woman's face, the coal that made the smile now sitting in a slightly smirking formation.

"You know what, I think it's perfect now." Chloe says with a smile, wrapping her left arm around the petite brunette's shoulders to admire their work.

"Totes." Beca bumps Chloe's hip. Something in her peripheral catches her eye, and Beca shifts her weight backwards to see Charlie and Caleb chatting closely next to what looks like a giant wall made of tightly packed snow.

"Hey, what do you think that's all about?" Beca asks the redhead curiously.

Chloe turns her head toward what Beca was referring to and sees her two elder brothers conversing quite conspicuously together. Now, Chloe knows her brothers better than anyone, and if their eyeline wasn't enough indication, the snowball Charlie was currently attempting to keep hidden behind his back made Chloe grin like a Cheshire Cat.

"I think you better prepare yourself, Becs." She warns the petite DJ huddled next to her, a slight hint of mirth in her voice.

"Prepare for what?" She asks, still confused. But before Chloe could respond, she watches Charlie take his aim from across the yard.

Sara is knelt in the snow helping Cooper straighten out a hat on top of his tiny snowman's head when she feels a surprising cold pressure hit her in the back.

"Ahh!" She screams in surprise. Jostling forward slightly, the blonde turns her head around to find the source. Spotting her husband laughing and high fiving Caleb not ten yards away, she calmly picks her up her son and walks over to where Jim and Dianna are sitting on the porch, watching their kids.

"Di, would you mind hanging onto the little man for a bit? I need to go shove a pile of snow down your son's pants."

"Of course dear," the older woman says with a grin whilst scooping her grandson onto her lap. "Give him hell."

Sara takes off in a sprint towards her husband with a freshly packed snowball in her hand. Distracted by planning their next move, Charlie catches her charge a moment too late as he receives a snowball to the side of the head before being tackled into soft powder.

Caleb takes off, leaving the couple to tickle fight and scoop waves of snow at one another.

Meanwhile, a free-for-all between the others had taken hold. As soon as Charlie went down, Conner popped up out of nowhere and began throwing snowballs at everyone who remained in the open. Taking hits left and right, each person scattered towards shelter. After about five solid minutes, the lull in battle was hitting its peak.

The defense wall Conner and Caleb had built earlier is currently being occupied by Chloe, who has managed to make quite an arsenal of snowballs. Armed with about fifteen at her feet, she covertly lifts her head up to peek over the wall and assess her surroundings. She spots Sara and Charlie wrestling about 25 feet diagonally to her left and catches Caleb crouching behind one of the built snowmen trying to roll together a few snowballs himself. Scanning the grounds, she spots Conner holed up near a large tree, and who seems to have set his sights on his older brother, but after a couple more discrete passes, she realizes she doesn't see Beca anywhere.

 _Where could she be?_ Chloe thinks.

The redhead decides to make a pouch with her shirt and load up as many snowballs as she can fit into it. After grabbing about eight balls, she starts to inch her body around the defense wall. Chloe manages to catch her younger brother's eye, and using their sibling telepathy, both nod in agreeance to attack their unsuspecting older brother. Slowly, they slink towards his location. As soon as both are about five yards away, Conner yells out.

"Now!"

"Ahhh!"

"Take that!" Chloe laughs, pelting her brother with snowball after snowball. Conner continues the assault from behind Caleb, the elder Beale boy beginning to disappear under the white slush covering him as he tries to defend his body with his flailing arms.

Running out of ammo, Chloe thinks to run back to the wall and grab her remaining snowballs. She takes off into a sprint, but not ten feet from her destination, she's hit with a force from the right side, spinning mid-air and landing heavily on top a small body beneath her in the snow.

Once the group had split after their initial free-for-all, Beca had taken cover out of view behind a fence near the shed off to the right of the backyard. The sudden snowball war had gotten her heart racing, and the subsequent laughing and running around had made her pretty out of breath. _Man I gotta take Aubrey's cardio tips more seriously._

She caught Chloe dashing behind the snow-packed wall that stood about 3ft high and 4ft wide. Beca thought it was pretty impressive the guys had put that together so quickly before all hell broke out. Figuring she just needed to bide her time before the redhead revealed herself again, Beca sat patiently, drawing shapes in the snow and watching the others continue to run around and strategize. About five minutes later, she catches a bit of motion behind a tree across the yard from where she was stationed. She sees Conner looking towards the wall then towards a snowman that she assumes Caleb is hiding behind. Not two seconds later she spots Chloe and Conner slowly making their way towards their brother. _Oh boy, he has no idea what's coming._ Beca grins, then hears nothing but yelling and laughter and the sounds of snow hitting a body.

Beca watches on as Chloe empties out her last snowball on the man before turning her head to look back towards the base she came from. _This is it. Sneak attack time, Mitchell!_

Beca manages to peel around the fence covering before seeing the woman break out in a sprint and takes off on her own. Collision course set, Beca braces herself for impact as she's running, wrapping her arms firmly around the body as she tackles Chloe to the ground.

"Ahh!"

"Oof."

Chloe felt the instant impact, but only felt softness as she landed on the ground. Opening her eyes after the initial shock of being tackled, she realizes the object that broke her fall is the tiny brunette in question she had been searching for not minutes before.

Groaning slightly from the slight soreness from falling and hitting the ground, the redhead lifts her head slightly from out if the crook of the DJ's neck and notices the compromising position she finds their bodies in. Laying directly on top of the body underneath her, even through thick jackets, Chloe can feel her breasts pressing against the other woman's, who is now breathing raggedly; she can feel their legs messily entwined and hips pressed tightly together.

"Beca?" She breathes out, still stunned.

Beca opens her eyes slowly to meet the other woman's icy blue eyes. Her breathing still shallow, but slowing down in pace as she comes down from her sudden burst of exertion.

"What was that?" Chloe questions again after an extended moment of silence from the brunette.

"I uh… surprise?" She laughs airily and Chloe gifts her with a brilliant smile.

"I'll say! You knocked the wind right out of me. Have you been hiding this whole time just to do that?" The redhead laughs, looking down into dark blue eyes. Locking her gaze with the elder Bella, Beca remembers the playful banter the two women shared just earlier.

"I will neither confirm nor deny that accusation." She grins coyly, and the redhead rolls her eyes playfully.

"Dork."

"You love it." Beca responds instantly, but after a beat, she notices Chloe go quiet and the light in her eyes reflect a deep emotion she isn't sure she has ever seen there before.

The two women don't seem to take notice of the on-going snow battle as they lay entwined on the ground, breathing slowly beginning to meld together as their faces drift closer to one another. Beca could feel the thumping of her heartbeat loudly in her ears as she witnesses the centimeters of space evaporate between them. She watches as Chloe's gaze drifts down towards her lips before quickly licking her own and seeing those sky blue irises disappear behind closed eyelids. As she mirrors the action, she feels the anticipation of what she is hoping is about to happen. And as suddenly as the feeling was there, it was ripped away.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry? Cliffhanger, I know. This chapter was originally longer, but I decided to split it in two. Hopefully that means I get the next one up faster, right? Right! Right? Anyways, I had a lot of fun writing part of this chapter, but honesty hour… I've never been in a snowball fight before. Mostly cause I've only seen snow like twice in my life. (Southern girl here) so I hope I did the scene some sort of justice for those of you who have.**


	8. Ch 8: With a Little Help from my Friends

A/N: Hey guys! I am sooo sorry it's taken me what... six months to get another chapter up. Life has kind of kicked my ass the last few months, and I've just had zero motivation to finish this chapter. BUT I saw PP3 friday night and found the inspiration to finish chapter 8. I basically put on Shelley & Kelley's "Baby It's Cold Outside" track on repeat to really get in that Christmassy mood. (So good!) SO, here is the next chapter, and just in time for Christmas! (like clockwork). I hope you all enjoy it, and have a very happy holiday and Merry Pitchmas! 3

* * *

 **Chapter 8: With a Little Help from my Friends**

 _Previously: Beca could feel the thumping of her heartbeat loudly in her ears as she witnesses the centimeters of space evaporate between them. She watches as Chloe's gaze drifts down towards her lips before quickly licking her own and seeing those sky blue irises disappear behind closed eyelids. As she mirrors the action, she feels the anticipation of what she is hoping is about to happen. And as suddenly as the feeling was there, it was ripped away._

As soon as Beca fired back, "you love it," Chloe wanted to immediately respond with, "I love you." A phrase not uncommon to utter between friends, especially in a banter-y kind of way, but Chloe knew better. She knew that the love she felt was not the slightest bit friendly anymore, nor has it been for some time now. But the acknowledgment of those feelings mixed with the physical presence of the woman responsible for those feelings lying directly beneath her was enough to momentarily short circuit her brain before refocusing to gaze heavily into the eyes staring back at her.

Before she knew what was happening, Chloe could feel the weight of her head lowering towards the other woman's. The air between them getting thicker with every mingling breath as their faces drifted closer. Chloe couldn't help but allow her gaze to drop to the plush red lips she so badly ached to feel against her own. Subconsciously she licked her lips before shutting her eyes to allow herself the one thing she's been dreaming of for months now.

But then she felt the icy cold grip of life pull her backwards and sharply away from her desires. A freezing sensation shot through her body like a lightning bolt, eliciting a high pitched scream of fright that even she might be embarrassed about later.

Unaware of the intimate moment his sister was desperately wanting to share with the new houseguest as they lay in their embrace on the ground, Caleb jumped at the opportunity presented to him. With Chloe's attention diverted, and to enact revenge, the man gathers up a packed bucket of snow and makes his way quickly to his sister. Without hesitation, he empties the bucket of snow down the back of Chloe's jacket, garnering the reaction he was hoping for. Her screams of fright were music to his ears as he doubled over laughing.

As Caleb laughs his ass off next to the two figures, Chloe experiences multiple emotions flow through her system—shock, anger and arousal being the most prominent— however, she settles on anger when her eyes fixate on the now retreating figure in the snow. Lifting herself up, she doesn't even acknowledge the brunette still laying on the ground in a complete state of shock and embarrassment as she sprints after the man.

"Caleb you complete asshole!" She yells at the top of her lungs as she gains ground on the fleeing man, expanding the distance between her and the brunette.

For her part, Beca has a million thoughts fluttering through her mind right now. The biggest of which are complete surprise at the actions that just took place, and horrific, soul-crushing embarrassment she now feels after realizing she nearly kissed the retreating redhead. _What was that, Mitchell? What the fuck was THAT! Are you out of your fucking mind?!_

Beca remains frozen, rooted to the ground, wondering how she could have possibly allowed herself to act on her impulses and nearly destroy her friendship with Chloe.

 _I have to go. I have to not be here right now._ She thinks suddenly. Lifting herself off the ground and brushing off any lingering snow, Beca sweeps the area with her eyes, worried the other Beale family members may have witnessed what just transpired. Not wanting to stick around to face that embarrassment, in addition to what she'll already face when looking Chloe in the eye again, Beca sprints off back to the house, muttering a quick excuse to Dianna about feeling tired and going inside for a while. Allowing herself a singular glance back towards the object of her current humiliation, she spots the redhead pummeling her older brother and yelling at him, words she can't make out due to the distance between them. She quickly turns to head into the house and upstairs to the bathroom to lock herself away for the rest of her life.

"You ass, why would you do that?!" Chloe yells angrily at her brother while smacking him in the shoulder repeatedly. "That was my moment! We were just about to kiss!"

"Shit, I'm sorry Chlo, I had no idea, I swear!" The man yelps, trying to block his body from his sister's jabs. "If I did, I would have just let you guys make out in the snow like a couple of horny teens." He laughs apologetically.

"Uhg, I hate you sometimes." She smacks his shoulder once more for good measure before helping him stand.

"No you don't, you love me. But don't worry, this is the most magical time of the year… or some lame crap like that that you always say, right?" He grins, trying to lighten his sister's mood. "You two will probably have several opportunities to make out this week." Chloe gives Caleb a side glare, clearly not convinced by his words of encouragement.

"You don't know Beca like I do." The redhead says in a worried tone as she scans the backyard for the brunette, not seeing her anywhere.

"Crap, I don't see her, Cal. She's probably completely freaking out right now. I've scared her off and now she'll probably want to leave and not be friends with me anymore. Oh my God, what have I done!" She turns to Caleb with a look of panic in her eyes.

"Woah, woah, Chlo, calm down, really it'll be okay." The man says, placing his hands firmly on his sister's shoulders in an attempt to ground her and calm her down. "Look at me, hey, it's fine. Maybe she just freaked and left because she wanted to kiss you and doesn't think you want to kiss her. But that'd be a good thing right, cause she wants to kiss you?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not it at all. God, how could I be so stupid? I need to find her and apologize and tell her… I don't know, tell her something." Chloe sighs, unsure of what she'll possibly say to coax the brunette back out from wherever she ran off to. Caleb simply gives her a sympathetic smile before leading them over to the deck where the rest of the family was starting to gather.

The snowball fight having been long over, the others had made their way towards the back of the house, clearing snow off their clothes as they chatted with one another. After shaking some snow out of the bottom of his pants, Charlie scoops up Cooper and moves to open the back door for everyone just as Chloe and Caleb finally reach the group. Wanting to resolve the awkwardness as soon as possible, Chloe speaks up to find out where the brunette ran off to.

"Anyone know where Beca went?"

* * *

Upstairs in the bathroom adjacent to Chloe's bedroom, Beca was pacing in a frantic manner, flailing her right arm around as she held a phone to her ear with the other.

"But Jess, I almost kissed her!" She says, walking back and forth. "She's gonna hate me. I mean, I honestly don't even know how I'm going to face her now."

"Jesus Bec, what have we talked about? Breathe! Okay Chloe is _not_ going to hate you."

"She is! I just know it. I don't even know why I'm still here. I should just go and―"

"Beca Penelope Mitchell, cool it!" Jesse yells into the phone. Beca immediately stops her frantic rambling.

"Chloe is your…" Jesse scrunches his nose as he says the next words, "best friend. She's not going to freak on you, she's not going to hate you. I guarantee you the worst she'll do is call you a weirdo and hug you." Beca let's loose a small grin at the man's words, knowing he's probably right and that she's likely overreacting on an epic scale.

"You're my best friend too ya know."

"Yeah yeah, quit with the love fest Bec, you're smothering me." Beca laughs, a reaction she didn't think she'd feel so quickly after her panicking moments ago. The brunette finds herself extremely grateful and appreciative of the man's words of encouragement.

"Thanks man. For calming me down." Silence encompasses them for a moment before Beca continues. "And is it just my imagination, or did you use Penelope as my middle name? What the fuck?"

"Sorry dude, but you never told it to me and I kinda just winged it. Heat of the moment, you know."

"Fine. But don't ever call me that again, or you _will_ be sorry."

"You know, if you just told me your _actual_ middle name, we wouldn't have this problem in the future."

"Not happening."

"Alright, but I'm not making any promises on what comes out of my mouth for that then. In fact, I'm gonna stock up my arsenal on some awesomely terrible options for your middle name. This is gonna be so good, I―" And with an annoyed click, Beca cut the line between them, bringing the phone up to rest against her forehead. Not a moment later was it vibrating again. Beca answers the call after three long buzzes.

"What?"

"Dude, you hung up on me!"

"You were being annoying. You know what happens when you're annoying."

"Fair enough."

Unbeknownst to Beca as she paced Chloe's bathroom speaking with Jesse, the redhead had ascended the stairs to find said brunette and make sure she was okay. Figuring she was holed up in their shared bedroom, Chloe made her way there first.

"Bec?" She taps lightly on the door before opening it slowly to enter. She doesn't see Beca anywhere, but notices the bathroom door shut most of the way, a muffled voice coming from inside. Chloe heads to the door fully intending on saying something, _anything_ , to Beca that could explain what just happened outside. She still wasn't completely sure of what words would decide to fall out of her mouth, but anything was better than nothing. She didn't want it to be weird between them.

As the redhead is about to tap on the door to alert herself to the brunette, she hears more clearly the tail end of what sounds like a phone conversation.

"Yeah, I know. I'll try. Thanks Jesse, you too. Yeah I'll talk to you later." Chloe overhears the brunette say through the crack in the door. _She called Jesse? Oh my god, of course she did, how could I be so stupid. I try and kiss someone who is clearly already taken. What is wrong with you Beale!? She's calling her boyfriend to tell him her best friend is creeping all over her. I'm such an idiot._

Chloe quietly backs out of her bedroom and re-closes the bedroom door so as to not alert Beca to her presence. She dejectedly walks back towards the staircase to head downstairs and rejoin her family whilst waiting for Beca.

Unaware that a certain redhead stood just outside the bedroom door, Beca leaned against the bathroom counter, listening to Jesse on the other end of her line wrap up another cheerful pep talk to her.

"So you good?" Beca exhales loudly.

"Yeah man, I'm good. I think."

"You think?"

"I am. Promise. I'm just being crazy."

"What else is new?"

"Hush you." Jesse laughs on the other end.

"Aright Bec, I gotta get going. Mom needs some help in the kitchen. Just relax and breathe and try not to spaz out around Chloe. You'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know. I'll try."

"Enjoy your break and I'll talk to you later," the Treble says.

"Thanks Jesse, you too. Yeah I'll talk to you later." Beca hangs up her phone and stares at herself in the mirror.

"Quit being a spaz. Chloe is your best friend, she knows you're weird and awkward. And despite how much you like her and how much you think you just blew your entire friendship, things will be fine. Just act normal and things will be fine." Beca says to her reflection. Giving a quick and firm nod of her head, she heads out of the bathroom to join the Beale family downstairs, ready to face the redhead again.

* * *

Beca rounds the corner into the living room and spots the aforementioned redhead setting the table for dinner.

"Hey Chlo."

"Oh, h-hey Becs." Chloe greets a little awkwardly, setting down the last of the forks in her hand. After eavesdropping on Beca's call to Jesse, Chloe had been dreading the brunette coming back downstairs and has been trying to keep her mind occupied by setting out everything on the dining table for dinnertime. Chloe's anxieties about the petite woman being involved with the Treble boy had been creeping into her brain, and she hasn't wanted to look the woman in her beautiful blue eyes again, for fear of tears filling her own and having to explain that to everyone.

But now with the younger Bella finally in front of her, Chloe uncomfortably shifts on her feet, avoiding making eye contact with the other woman before speaking.

"I, um, mom… she needs some help with dinner. So, I'm just gonna…" the redhead throws a thumb over her shoulder to indicate heading off in the direction before making the move to do so, turning on her heel and swiftly walking away from the brunette.

Beca, for her part, stood confused at Chloe's odd behavior, but internally fought with herself to listen to Jesse and believe that nothing was weird between them. So she responded with a quiet "okay" that she is certain the retreating redhead didn't hear and made her own way over to where Sara was playing with Cooper in the living room.

Dinner was a pretty awkward affair, at least with how Beca's interactions went with the redhead that sat across from her. Unlike other meals, when everyone began to sit down at the table, Chloe had grabbed the last vacant seat on the opposite side of the table from Beca, rather than sit next to the petite girl. The action made Beca curious, but she decided to not dwell on it, convincing herself that the animated conversation Chloe had held with Caleb most of the meal was the reasoning for her chair decision. It had nothing to do with Chloe possibly avoiding Beca, she reminded herself. It wasn't until Dianna had asked Beca how she was feeling after having gone inside so quickly this afternoon, when Beca noticed the lack of eye contact Chloe was making with her. In fact, the brunette was certain that Chloe was actively avoiding looking at her, choosing instead to watch her own fork push around some veggies on her plate.

Beca had responded with a brief, "Yeah I'm okay, thank you for asking," before keeping to herself for the rest of the meal, opting to listen to other's conversations and steal glances at the redhead directly across from her.

The table was reaching the end of dessert, and Beca had almost had enough of the silent treatment from the redhead. She was about to ask Chloe if everything was okay with her when the words on the tip of her tongue were interrupted by a muffled ringing. Chloe reached into her back pocket to retrieve her cellphone.

"Oh, it's Aubrey. I'm just gonna take this…" she motions upstairs to anyone at the dinner table paying attention to her, and gets up from her seat. Beca watches on with a slightly more glum looking expression as the redhead leaves the table.

"Hey Bree!" Chloe says cheerfully, as she begins to ascend the staircase.

Five minutes later and the senior Bella is spread out on her back on her bed, chatting up her best friend, venting about the events of her day, having just finished explaining walking in on Beca's phone call.

"It was so amazing earlier today. We shared this incredible moment this morning after we found the tree. It was just so perfect. God, Bree, why did I have to go a mess it up? It's been so weird."

"Do I need to fly out there and beat some sense into Mitchell?" Aubrey says seriously.

"That's not necessary, but thank you." A small uptick of her mouth beginning to form, grateful of the loyalty and friendship Aubrey always has for her.

"I'm serious Chlo. Or," the blonde drags out, mulling up a plan in her mind, "I could just give Dianna a ring after we hang up. She's always great at―" Chloe cuts her off in her tracks.

"Absolutely not, Bree! Don't you dare get my mother involved in this."

"Come on, you know she'd be able to―"

"No." Chloe interrupts firmly, rising from the position on her bed to stand. "And if you do, so help me, I will―" It's the blonde's turn to interrupt her best friend.

"What, Chlo? What will you do if I get Mama Beale involved?" Aubrey challenges with a wry grin. Chloe stands there in her room holding the phone to her ear, mouth slightly agape at her best friend's audacious response.

"Aubrey, if you tell my mother, I will let slip to a certain leggy brunette a very particular dream you've had recently." She hears Aubrey's gasp on the other end of the line.

"I told you that in the strictest of confidences, Chloe!" Her co-captain yell-whispers through the phone, a red tint beginning to highlight her cheeks.

"Then you know how serious I am being about not getting my meddlesome mother involved in this mess I've made with Beca."

"Fineee." The blonde drags out, conceding. "Fine, I'm sorry. I know how she can be. I was just trying to help."

"I know. And I love you for it, but I'll figure it out. At least Beca hasn't taken off yet, right? I've got that going for me." The two women share a laugh before carrying on their conversation for another 10 minutes.

* * *

Dinner had long since finished, and after Chloe had excused herself from the table, several other family members began to do the same. Beca, not wanting to interrupt the redhead's phone call, and not really knowing what to do with herself, opted to help Dianna clear off the table and clean up from dinner. Eventually the matriarch of the family shooed the girl away and told her to go relax since she was the guest, and to let Chloe know they'd be starting up the fire outside soon.

Now, the petite woman finds herself standing outside of hers and Chloe's shared bedroom. Beca taps on the door, not wanting to interrupt Chloe if she wasn't finished with her phone call. She hears a muffled "come in" from the opposite side and does so. Beca opens the door to see Chloe sat on the end of her bed, legs stretched out in front of her and heels digging into the floor, with the phone held up to her ear. Chloe moves to cover the phone and mouth to Beca, "almost done, just a sec," before responding into the receiver again. Beca takes a seat on the corner of the bed.

"Okay Bree. Yeah. Well I'll let you get going. Send my love to your mom, and Beca says hi."

Beca pulls a face when she can hear the blonde laugh through the phone, and Chloe swats at her in the air.

"She does, I'm serious!" The redhead laughs. Beca leans over towards the phone.

"Hey General Posen."

"See Bree?" Beca smirks at the muffled but indignant sounding voice coming from the phone.

"Alright alright, I know. Okay, talk to you soon. Love you, byeee." Chloe ends the call with her best friend. "You do not make things easy, you know." The redhead points an accusatory finger at the tiny DJ.

"Who, me?" Beca laughs at the annoyed but amused face of Chloe. "Sorry, but she just makes it so easy."

"Mhmm. Some excuse."

"So how is our fair co-captain doing?"

"She's good. Sounds like she's decompressing at home."

"Huh, wonder what a decompressed Aubrey looks like…" she thinks for a moment. "Yeah, nope, can't picture that." Chloe shoves her leg playfully.

"You'd be surprised at how chill Aubrey can be when she's not wound up with the weight of the world on her shoulders."

"I'll believe it when I see it, Beale." Beca smirks.

A silence settles over the two women for a few moments. Not awkward, but not entirely comfortable either. Chloe picks at a loose thread on the comforter as she tries to build up some courage to broach a certain subject with the object of her affection sitting next to her. Chloe takes a breath and clears her throat quietly.

"So how's Jesse doing?"

"Jesse?" Beca asks, confused by the random question about the Treble boy. The redhead nods, her gaze pointing downward.

"He's good, I guess." She drags out, wondering why the redhead was asking. "Talked to him earlier, actually. Enjoying the break, parents smothering him with attention, blah blah, etcetera. He says it's annoying, but I know the nerd loves it." Beca smirks.

"Good. That's good. That he's having a good break. I'm sure he misses you, too."

"I… guess?" Beca furrows her eyebrows.

 _Why is Chloe talking about Jesse? I didn't think they really even knew each other that well._ Beca thinks to herself, unaware of the nervous picking of the bedsheets Chloe has been doing for the last few minutes.

Chloe had been dying all night to ask Beca about Jesse, wanting to know for sure if they're together. But due to the awkwardness floating around the two of them all evening, she hasn't had the courage to really talk to Beca, let alone broach that subject matter. Beca asking her about Aubrey gave Chloe the slight in she needed to segue to the Bella rival. She just needed to rip the bandaid off and pry for answers.

"You know, you guys look pretty cute together. So how long have you been dating?" Chloe asks, eyes cast downward, her lips tightly pursed together, forcing the sentence out of her mouth.

As soon as the words leave the redhead's lips and process in her own brain, Beca suddenly finds the bed underneath her giving way as she falls off the edge, caught completely off guard by the question.

"Oh my gosh, Becs, are you okay?" Chloe scrambles off the bed to help the small girl up off the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just uh, yeah no I'm good." Beca climbs onto the bed again, this time closer to the middle, adjusting her shirt and trying to keep what little pride she has left in check. "Sorry, I um, how long have we _what_?"

"Been dating? Aren't you two secretly dating so you don't get in trouble with Aubrey?" Chloe asks again, her heart stuck in her throat, desperately not wanting to hear an answer out of fear of it not being the one she wants to hear.

"Jesse. And me. Dating?" Beca says slowly and Chloe nods in affirmation. Before the redhead could saying anything else, she was watching the brunette contort her face, then letting out a burst of laughter that caused her petite body to double over.

A few moments pass before Beca manages to get her laughter under control, tears beginning to stream down her face somewhat. She coughs a couple times to clear out the dryness in her throat and respond to the redhead sitting beside her who was looking a little alarmed and confused.

"Sorry for the laughing, but that's–that's just an absurd thought for me. No, no, we uh, we're soooo not dating."

"Oh. You're not?" Chloe tries to keep her voice neutral, hoping Beca can't hear her heart beating out of her chest.

"No way dude. Not a chance. First of all, he's like my annoying little brother." Chloe smirks at that response, internally jumping for joy. "Second… he's _so_ not my type." Beca says casually before instantly regretting her words, knowing it has now opened a whole new line of questioning.

"So you have a type?" Chloe grins, seeing an opportunity here to get to know the brunette a little better, maybe scope out if she has a chance with the girl. "And what type is Beca Mitchell attracted to, might I ask?"

Beca's cheeks are completely beet red at this point, not wanting any ounce of attention the redhead sitting on the bed next to her is currently giving her.

"I, um, it's not, I mean, I don't– I don't have a _type_ per se. But _if_ I did, Jesse definitely wouldn't be it."

"Well, you are still fairly young, Bec. If you don't have a type, maybe you just don't know what you like yet." Chloe goads the freshman girl.

"I know what I like." She says confidently, staring straight into shining bright blue eyes. Chloe chest heaves up and down quietly, letting the moment between them hover in the air before speaking softly.

"So what do you like?" The redhead asks quietly, not breaking her gaze with the petite brunette.

 _Flaming red hair, blue eyes clearer than the ocean. A confident, crazy, knows-no-boundaries woman that has a smile as bright as the sun._ Beca thinks.

"I just like a personality that meshes with mine. I'm kind of hard to be around, so pretty much someone who can tolerate me at my worst, which is pretty often." Beca responds with a shrug of her shoulder.

"I've never seen you be anything other than amazing Beca, so I highly doubt you have a worst."

"You haven't been hanging around me enough then, Beale." Beca says with a self-deprecating smile.

"Is that an open invitation, Mitchell?"

"Maybe it is."

The two women hold each other's gaze for a solid minute before simultaneously breathing out airy smiles and looking away shyly.

"Alright. So what kind of hair color do you prefer, then?"

"What?" Beca asks, slightly baffled at the question.

"You heard me. You know what you like... Well, what color hair do you like on a person? Everyone has a preference." Chloe asks in a sing-songy voice.

"Excuse you, I don't discriminate against hair color, thank you." Chloe giggles.

"So blondes, brunettes…" Beca shrugs in a non-committed fashion. "Redheads?"

Beca quickly catches Chloe's eyes before shifting them away again, looking down at her fingers when she responds.

"Can't say I've known too many redheads, but I wouldn't say no." Chloe bites her lower lip, letting the moment settle between them before lightening the tension again.

"What about rainbow colored hair."

"What?" Beca exclaims with a laugh.

"What, you said you don't discriminate." Chloe says coyly.

"You got me there, Beale. I think rainbow hair might be a little too extreme for me. It's the colors. I'm more of a neutral palate kind of gal."

"Mmm. Fair enough."

The two women continue their conversation for a short period longer, Beca asking a few more questions about Aubrey, Chloe asking if she missed anything after leaving the dinner table. The awkwardness between them seemed to dissipate throughout their chat, and both women appear to be more at ease. Without words being spoken, they seem to have made the decision and agreement that not acknowledging the snow incident earlier would be the course of action taken, hoping to avoid any further awkwardness by bringing it up.

"So, um, what do you wanna do now?" Chloe asks, after a brief lull in their conversation occurs.

"Oh, well your mom mentioned a bit ago that they'll be starting up the fire soon? Whatever that means."

"Ooh yay!" Chloe claps her hands together excitedly. "We have a fire pit off the back deck. Dad will light it up and we'll just hang out and make s'mores and whatnot."

"Sounds pretty cool. Shall we head down?" Beca asks while standing up, extending her hand to help the redhead off the bed.

"We shall." Chloe accepts the hand to be pulled up, and the two women head downstairs to join the rest of the family for some bonding time around the campfire.


End file.
